Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Türkiye.
Turk J Pediatr. 2023;65(5):832-844. doi: 10.24953/turkjped.2022.573.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a promising agent for reducing irritability and hyperactivity and enhancing social responsiveness in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study aims to examine the effects of NAC on cardinal symptoms, eating, and sleeping habits in preschool children with autism.
The medical records of ASD patients were investigated retrospectively. 37 children with ASD who regularly received oral NAC in two divided doses per day (400-600 mg/day) for 8 weeks were included as the study group. The control group consisted of 21 children with ASD who were recommended NAC but never used it. The initial and second assessment scores after 8 weeks of regular use of the NAC group and control group on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), Children Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ), and the Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) were compared.
Our findings suggested that oral NAC alleviated the intensity of cardinal autistic symptoms in areas of social withdrawal, interpersonal relationships, body use, listening response, and verbal communication. Corresponding problem behaviors such as irritability, stereotypic behavior, and hyperactivity were reduced. It was determined that there was no difference between the two groups in terms of eating behaviors and sleeping habits.
According to the results, NAC alleviated the severity of cardinal symptoms and reduced problem behaviors in autism. Additional trials with more systematic planning, controlling for confounding effects, and long-term follow-up should be provided in future studies.
N-乙酰半胱氨酸（NAC）是一种很有前途的药物，可以减少自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的烦躁和多动，增强其社交反应能力。本研究旨在探讨 NAC 对学龄前自闭症儿童主要症状、饮食和睡眠习惯的影响。
回顾性调查 ASD 患者的病历。将 37 名定期接受口服 NAC 治疗（每天两次，每次 400-600mg），持续 8 周的 ASD 患儿纳入研究组。对照组包括 21 名被建议使用 NAC 但从未使用过的 ASD 患儿。比较 NAC 组和对照组在使用 NAC 8 周后的初始和第二次评估分数，评估工具为儿童自闭症评定量表（CARS）、异常行为检查表（ABC）、儿童饮食行为问卷（CEBQ）和睡眠习惯问卷（CSHQ）。
研究发现，口服 NAC 减轻了社会退缩、人际关系、身体运用、听力反应和言语交流等领域的核心自闭症症状的严重程度。相应的问题行为如烦躁、刻板行为和多动也有所减少。两组在饮食行为和睡眠习惯方面没有差异。
根据结果，NAC 减轻了自闭症的严重程度和问题行为。未来的研究应提供更多系统规划、控制混杂因素和长期随访的试验。
