Hamoud Ali Fadheel, Al-Saadi Narjis Hadi
Ministry of Education, Karbala Education Directorate, Karbala, Iraq.
Chemistry Department, College of Science, Kerbala University, Karbala, Iraq.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025 Mar;203(3):1405-1412. doi: 10.1007/s12011-024-04283-5. Epub 2024 Jul 15.
ASD is a complex condition defined by many causes, one of them being excessive concentrations of necessary and harmful chemicals in children. The serum, hair, and nails of children with ASD have lower levels of critical trace elements, according to studies. It is quite obvious that bio elements are involved in physiology and pathophysiology. Thus, this study examined trace element contents in serum samples from children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specifically zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), and selenium (Se). The study also looked for links between trace element levels and autistic severity. The study included 47 children with autism spectrum disorder, and the Gilliam's Scale was used for severity. The study also included 53 healthy kids with age and gender-matched with those of ASD. For serum trace element analysis, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used. The study found significant decreases in selenium and zinc concentration (OR, 5.25; CI, 1.96 ~ 14.08; p < 0.001) and increases in aluminum level (OR, 39.34; CI, 8.20 ~ 89.45; p < 0.001) in children with ASD compared to the control group. The area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.85 for Se, 0.98 for Al, and 0.7 for Zn showed high sensitivity and specificity for all parameters. Results indicate a strong positive connection between ASD and their levels of selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) (β, 0.48; CI, 0.280 ~ 0.679; p < 0.001 and β, 0.31; CI, 0.10 ~ 0.52; p = 0.005). There is a negative correlation between ASD and aluminum (Al) (β 0.83; CI, 0.71 ~ 0.95; p < 0.001). This element may be a biomarker for autism in youngsters. High odds ratio (OR) values indicate trace element risk in autistic children.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种由多种原因导致的复杂病症，其中一个原因是儿童体内必要和有害化学物质浓度过高。研究表明，患有ASD的儿童的血清、头发和指甲中的关键微量元素水平较低。很明显，生物元素参与了生理和病理生理过程。因此，本研究检测了自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童血清样本中的微量元素含量，特别是锌（Zn）、铝（Al）和硒（Se）。该研究还寻找了微量元素水平与自闭症严重程度之间的联系。该研究纳入了47名自闭症谱系障碍儿童，并使用吉利姆量表来评估严重程度。该研究还纳入了53名年龄和性别与ASD儿童相匹配的健康儿童。血清微量元素分析采用石墨炉原子吸收分光光度法。研究发现，与对照组相比，ASD儿童的硒和锌浓度显著降低（比值比[OR]，5.25；可信区间[CI]，1.96至14.08；p<0.001），铝水平升高（OR，39.34；CI，8.20至89.45；p<0.001）。硒的曲线下面积（AUC）值为0.85，铝为0.98，锌为0.7，表明所有参数均具有高敏感性和特异性。结果表明，ASD与他们的硒（Se）和锌（Zn）水平之间存在强正相关（β，0.48；CI，0.280至0.679；p<0.001和β，0.31；CI，0.10至0.52；p=0.005）。ASD与铝（Al）之间存在负相关（β，0.83；CI，0.71至0.95；p<0.001）。这种元素可能是青少年自闭症的生物标志物。高比值比（OR）值表明自闭症儿童存在微量元素风险。
