Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital/Children's Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230051, Anhui, China.
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
Eur J Pediatr. 2021 Apr;180(4):999-1008. doi: 10.1007/s00431-020-03826-x. Epub 2020 Nov 4.
This meta-analysis was performed to clarify the association between food hypersensitivity in children and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in detail. Relevant studies published in 8 databases before March 2020 were retrieved and screened according to established inclusion criteria. The odds ratio (OR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) was pooled to estimate the effect. Subgroup analyses were performed in terms of publication year, study design, location, sample size, definition of food hypersensitivity, definition of ASD, and study quality score. Furthermore, we stratified studies by participant sex and age to perform a more detailed analysis. This meta-analysis included 12 published articles with 434,809 subjects. A significant association was observed between food hypersensitivity and the risk of ASD (OR = 2.792, 95% CI: 2.081-3.746). The risk of ASD among girls and subjects younger than 12 with food hypersensitivity may be greater than that among boys and those older than 12. The results of sensitivity analysis and publication bias analysis show that the association is relatively stable.Conclusion: Our results showed a positive association between food hypersensitivity and autism spectrum disorder, and girls and subjects younger than 12 may be more sensitive to this association. The role of food hypersensitivity in the onset of ASD deserves more attention. What is Known: • Food hypersensitivity is a term used to describe food allergies and food intolerance. • ASD is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that are characterized by deficits in social interaction, repetitive or stereotypic behavior, and verbal communication disorder. • The prevalence rates of ASD and food hypersensitivity in the developed world are increasing. What is New: • In this work, we reviewed and analyzed the available data and studies and found a positive association between food hypersensitivity and ASD. • Girls and children younger than 12 may be more sensitive to have ASD than boys and children older than 12.
这项荟萃分析旨在详细阐明儿童食物过敏与自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）之间的关联。根据既定纳入标准，检索并筛选了 2020 年 3 月前在 8 个数据库中发表的相关研究。使用 95%置信区间（CI）汇总比值比（OR）以估计效应。根据发表年份、研究设计、地点、样本量、食物过敏定义、ASD 定义和研究质量评分进行亚组分析。此外，我们按参与者性别和年龄对研究进行分层，以进行更详细的分析。这项荟萃分析包括 12 篇已发表的文章，涉及 434,809 名受试者。观察到食物过敏与 ASD 风险之间存在显著关联（OR=2.792，95%CI：2.081-3.746）。患有食物过敏的女孩和年龄小于 12 岁的儿童患 ASD 的风险可能大于男孩和年龄大于 12 岁的儿童。敏感性分析和发表偏倚分析的结果表明，这种关联相对稳定。结论：我们的研究结果表明，食物过敏与自闭症谱系障碍之间存在正相关，而女孩和年龄小于 12 岁的儿童可能对这种关联更为敏感。食物过敏在 ASD 发病中的作用值得进一步关注。已知内容：• 食物过敏是用来描述食物过敏和食物不耐受的术语。• ASD 是一组神经发育障碍，其特征是社交互动、重复或刻板行为以及言语交流障碍。• 在发达国家，ASD 和食物过敏的患病率正在增加。新内容：• 在这项工作中，我们回顾和分析了现有数据和研究，发现食物过敏与 ASD 之间存在正相关。• 女孩和年龄小于 12 岁的儿童可能比男孩和年龄大于 12 岁的儿童更容易出现 ASD。
