DIGESTIVE DISORDERS AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

The study included 41 children aged 3 to 15 years with autism spectrum disorders and their parents. They answered the questions of the questionnaire concerning the presence of digestive disorders. All children were tested for celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. More than half of children with autism have digestive disorders (53.5%). The predominant symptoms are diarrhea (20.4%) and constipation (31.8%). 27% of children have selective appetite. Less common are frequent or constant burping (19.5%) and flatulence (14.5%). Among the pain syndrome, constant or recurrent pain in the lower abdomen is more common (7.5%), less often - in the upper (5%). The least common are nausea (5%) and frequent vomiting (2.5%). Celiac disease was not detected in any of the examined patients, while 41.9% of children with autism spectrum disorders have a genetic predisposition to the disease. Antibodies to gliadin Ig G are detected in 13.7% of children with ASD who do not use diet therapy. Key words: gastrointestinal tract, gluten intolerance, gluten-free diet, genetic markers, autism