Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
Autism Res. 2019 Dec;12(12):1860-1869. doi: 10.1002/aur.2183. Epub 2019 Aug 6.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with low cholesterol levels in a limited number of studies. However, the prevalence of hypocholesterolemia as well as the degree of association with ASD remains to be elucidated. We therefore sought to investigate the lipid profiles of a group of French-Canadian ASD individuals. The medical records of 79 ASD individuals and 79 age and gender-matched healthy controls were retrospectively reviewed. The fasting lipid profiles including total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein were extracted for individuals of both groups along with the following clinical data: anthropometric measurements, medication use and associated disorders. Lipid parameters were compared to age and gender-based normative population and categorized in centile groups. The prevalence of hypocholesterolemia was revealed to be more than threefold higher in ASD individuals as compared to the general population (23%; P = 0.005). The 25th centile was determined as a potential TC threshold that could best predict the ASD (odds ratio [OR] = 3.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.58-6.65; P < 0.001). This study identified specific ASD comorbidities associated with hypocholesterolemia: TC levels below the 10th centile were associated with a higher rate of ASD-associated intellectual disability (OR = 3.33; 95% CI: 1.26-8.00) and anxiety/depression (OR = 4.74; 95% CI: 1.40-15.73). Overall, these results support a potential association between hypocholesterolemia and ASD occurrence. Application of this study to larger populations is urging to provide more extensive data that may further elucidate the association between hypocholesterolemia and ASD. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1860-1869. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Association of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with abnormally low levels of cholesterol (hypocholesterolemia) has been documented before. These studies were incomplete, and the conclusion remains speculative. Here, we reviewed the medical records of 79 French-Canadian ASD individuals and compared their total cholesterol (TC) levels to healthy individuals matched for age and gender. We observed four times more hypocholesterolemia in ASD than in the general population. Furthermore, low TC in ASD was associated with higher rates of ASD-associated intellectual disability and anxiety/depression. Our results support an association between hypocholesterolemia and ASD and open novel opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of specific forms of ASD.
自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 与少数研究中胆固醇水平降低有关。然而，低胆固醇血症的患病率以及与 ASD 的关联程度仍有待阐明。因此，我们试图研究一组加拿大法语 ASD 个体的血脂谱。回顾性分析了 79 名 ASD 患者和 79 名年龄和性别匹配的健康对照者的病历。提取了两组个体的空腹血脂谱，包括总胆固醇 (TC)、高密度脂蛋白、甘油三酯和低密度脂蛋白，以及以下临床数据：人体测量值、用药情况和相关疾病。将血脂参数与基于年龄和性别的参考人群进行比较，并按百分位分组。结果显示，与普通人群相比，ASD 个体的低胆固醇血症患病率高出三倍以上（23%；P=0.005）。第 25 百分位被确定为可能的 TC 阈值，可最佳预测 ASD（优势比 [OR] = 3.04；95%置信区间 [CI]：1.58-6.65；P<0.001）。这项研究确定了与低胆固醇血症相关的特定 ASD 合并症：TC 水平低于第 10 百分位与 ASD 相关的智力残疾（OR = 3.33；95%CI：1.26-8.00）和焦虑/抑郁（OR = 4.74；95%CI：1.40-15.73）的发生率较高有关。总体而言，这些结果支持低胆固醇血症与 ASD 发生之间存在潜在关联。将本研究应用于更大的人群，迫切需要提供更广泛的数据，以进一步阐明低胆固醇血症与 ASD 之间的关联。自闭症研究 2019, 12: 1860-1869。 © 2019 自闭症国际研究协会，威利在线期刊，公司。
