The Relationship between Plasma Levels of TAM Receptor Tyrosine Kinases and the Frequency of Serum Anti-myelin Basic Protein Auto-antibodies in Autistic Children

Abstract

his study aimed to investigate serum levels of TAMRTKs, as triggering factors of autoimmunity, in a group of autistic children. The relation between the frequency of serum anti-MBP antibodies and levels of TAMRTKs was also studied. The autistic patients comprised 27 males and 3 females. Their ages ranged between 3.5 and 11 years (mean ± SD = 5.41 ± 2.14years). The control group comprised age- and sex- matched apparently healthy children. They included 26 males and 4 females. Their ages ranged between 3 and 11 years (mean ± SD = 6.09 ± 2.20 years).All studied patients had classic-onset autism. The degree of the disease severity was assessed by using CARS and according to this scale, children who have scored 30–36 have mild to moderate autism (56.7%; n=17),while those with scores ranging between 37 and 60 points have a severe degree of autism (43.3%; n= 13). None of the healthy control children had a neurocognitive disorder. Fifty three percent of autistic children (n=16) had a family history of autoimmune diseases and only 16.7% (n=5) of healthy children had such a history. The autoimmune diseases in the relatives of children with autism included RA in 6 patients, IDDM in 5 patients, multiple sclerosis in 2 patients and inflammatory bowel disease in 3 patients. On the other hand, a family history of autoimmune diseases was evident in only 5 healthy children. The autoimmune diseases in the