Study Of Interleukin 12 And Interleukin 17 In Autistic Children

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neuro -developmental disorders characterized by severe impairments in social interaction, communication and restricted-stereotyped interests. Symptoms of ASD generally manifest within the first three years of life and persist through adulthood in most cases. Susceptibility to ASD is clearly attributable to genetic factors but the etiology of ASD is unknown, and no biomarkers have yet been proven to be characteristic of ASD. Accumulating evidence suggests that dysregulation of the immune system is involved in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Objective: This study designed to evaluate the dysregulation of the immune system in autism. Subjects and Methods: The current study included 60 subjects {thirty autistic patients and thirty normal children as a control. All candidates were subjected to full clinical evaluation and complement C3, C4, CD4 +ve cell and interleukins (IL12 - IL17) levels were investigated. Results: There were significant differences in the level of IL12 and CD4 in autistic patients rather than controls; however, there was no significant difference in C3,C4 and IL17 between both groups. Conclusion: the characterization of immunological parameters in ASD has important implications for diagnosis, and should be considered when designing therapeutic strategies in managing autism. Recommendations: Further studies replicating our results are recommended involving a larger number of ASD children and more types of cytokines. Keywords: Autism , immunological profile.