No evidence for a clear link between active intestinal inflammation and autism based on analyses of faecal calprotectin and rectal nitric oxide.

AIM Due to parental concern regarding the child's bowel habits and the ongoing discussion whether there might be an association between autism and intestinal inflammation, two inflammatory markers were analysed in a group of children with autism. METHODS Twenty-four consecutive children with autism (3-13 years) of unknown aetiology were investigated with respect to faecal calprotectin and rectal nitric oxide (NO). RESULTS One child who previously had a severe Clostridium difficile infection displayed raised levels of both these inflammatory markers and one child with extreme constipation for whom only calprotectin was possible to measure had raised levels. The remaining children displayed results that did not indicate an active inflammatory status in the intestine when the two inflammatory markers were combined. CONCLUSION By the use of two independent markers of inflammatory reactions in the gut, i.e. rectal NO and faecal calprotectin we were not able to disclose evidence of a link between the autistic disorder and active intestinal inflammation.