Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt..
Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2014 Nov;38(3):1016-24. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2014.10.005. Epub 2014 Nov 6.
Autism is a developmental disability characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication. The definite cause of autism is still unknown. The aim of this study is to find out the relation between exposure to Lead and/or mercury as heavy metals and autistic symptoms, dealing with the heavy metals with chelating agents can improve the autististic symptoms.
Blood and hair samples were obtained from 45 children from Upper Egypt with autism between the ages of 2 and 10 years and 45 children served as controls in the same age range, after taken an informed consent and fill a questionnaire to assess the risk factors. The samples were analyzed blindly for lead and mercury by using atomic absorption and ICP-MS. Data from the two groups were compared, then follow up of the autistic children after treatment with chelating agents were done.
The results obtained showed significant difference among the two groups, there was high level of mercury and lead among those kids with autism. Significant decline in the blood level of lead and mercury with the use of DMSA as a chelating agent. In addition, there was decline in the autistic symptoms with the decrease in the lead and mercury level in blood.
Lead and mercury considered as one of the main causes of autism. Environmental exposure as well as defect in heavy metal metabolism is responsible for the high level of heavy metals. Detoxification by chelating agents had great role in improvement of those kids.
自闭症是一种以严重社交互动和沟通障碍为特征的发育障碍。自闭症的确切原因尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨接触铅和/或汞等重金属与自闭症症状之间的关系，使用螯合剂处理重金属可以改善自闭症症状。
从埃及上埃及的 45 名 2 至 10 岁的自闭症儿童和 45 名年龄相同的对照组儿童中采集血液和头发样本，在获得知情同意并填写评估风险因素的问卷后。使用原子吸收和 ICP-MS 对样本进行盲法分析铅和汞。比较两组数据，然后对使用螯合剂治疗的自闭症儿童进行随访。
结果显示两组之间存在显著差异，自闭症儿童的汞和铅水平较高。使用 DMSA 作为螯合剂后，血液中铅和汞的水平显著下降。此外，随着血液中铅和汞水平的降低，自闭症症状也有所下降。
铅和汞被认为是自闭症的主要原因之一。环境暴露以及重金属代谢缺陷导致了重金属水平升高。螯合剂解毒在改善这些儿童方面发挥了重要作用。
