The frustration of dealing with a difficult or wayward child can be almost as painful as the suffering of the child itself. How much the child suffers may be almost impossible to calculate, but a parent who must rear such a child may have self-recriminations of immense proportions. When the true cause of the deviation of an offspring from normal is known, at least one facet of parental suffering may be eased; guilt. The extent to which such knowledge can alleviate this guilt depends on each individual, but it is important that research into this knowledge continue for this and many other reasons.
How many parents have blamed themselves for the supposed creation of autistic children? In the past children with mental deviations like this were considered to be the fruit of inbreeding, parental disease, demonic possession, etc. More recently, genes and environmental factors have been suspected of playing a role. Yet, today the true cause of autism is still largely unknown. Perhaps one recent discovery, based on the concept that environmental factors are likely to be involved, may help lead us out of this abyss. In the October 1998 issue of Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology researchers Singh, Yang, and Lin from the University of Michigan's College of Pharmacy may have begun to shed some light on this unfortunate condition. They found that autistic children who had been exposed to certain viruses in the past showed unusually high levels of antibodies to the proteins in their brains.
Since one theory of the etiology of autism is related to early exposure to viruses, these researchers seized on this finding. The concept has been that antibodies produced to protect against a virus may also manage to attack the tissues of the body under siege. An analogy might be the use of biological weapons meant to destroy the enemy resulting in death and destruction in the country of origin itself: How stupidly lacking in foresight in the world of warfare! How sad in our fight to survive!
This concept of illness due to our own defenses turned upon ourselves is known as autoimmune disease, and is believed responsible for such entities as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and numerous other mysterious entities.
These authors compared 48 autistic children to 34 normal children and adults by measuring levels of antibodies to the viruses of measles and human herpesvirus-6 in the blood. They chose these two because they are often used when studying other autoimmune diseases. These findings were then compared to levels of two antibodies to brain tissue. The first was anti-MBP, which may attack a protein in the protective sheaths around nerve fibers in the brain called myelin basic protein. The second was anti-NAFP that similarly may attack neuron-axon filament protein, which actually makes up the nerve fibers themselves.
No one expected the autistic children to have higher levels of the antibodies in the blood. This was true, but for some reason the majority of the autistic children who had virus antibodies in the blood also had autoantibodies in the brain. The higher the blood level, the higher the brain level. On the other hand, no normal individuals had any brain autoantibodies. Measles was apparently the greatest offending agent.
Now we have the big question. If we are routinely protecting children from diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus with immunization, what role could this play in creating autistic children? The authors verified one important fact, almost all of their autistic patients had been immunized and none ever had measles unless it was so mild as to be undetected. In the past, no scientific studies have shown a link between vaccines and autism. Could this be the first?
About Dr. Ackerman
Dr.Ackerman provides helpful insights and answers to the important medical issues that affect you. "Relax! It’s Only Your Doctor’s Waiting Room, Not the ER: Or How to Get Along With and Understand Your Doctor" is an insightful and humerous look at modern day medicine.
When the HMOs, plus other sundry forms of interfering insurers and government agencies - assisted by new regulations destined to create mounting paperwork, escalating expenses, and legal entanglements - finally convinced him to abandon practice, Dr. Ackerman turned back the clock and reentered the now rapidly expanding field of "continuing medical education" known as CME.
From his early days in college - when he helped his friends formulate their term papers - and in medical school - when he wrote a book designed to clarify the indecipherable mumblings of their French-speaking biochemistry professor for his perplexed fellow American students at the University of Geneva - the author soon became aware of his ability to translate complex subjects into a more friendly format. He went on from there to become a board-certified specialist in two fields, then the head of section at multiple hospitals and a medical school.
He is also recognized as a prolific lecturer, researcher and inventor, and an author of numerous medical articles for journals, magazines, and the Internet. As far back as the 1970s he originated a new modality for preparing physicians to take their board exams, and then keep up to date on the literature. These took the form of an audio book followed by monthly cassette tapes sponsored by local and national medical societies
Then in the late 1990s he became an originator and participant in the creation of monthly tapes accredited for CME category 1 - which is required by physicians for maintaining their licenses - and sponsored by several of the most highly revered medical institutions.
Presently, a new Internet venture, promoted by his multidimensional company Associated Medical Resources, is in an early stage of development. It is designed to provide patients, or their physicians with current information about unresolved medical problems via intensive reviews of the medical literature. These endeavors, over the years, have not gone unnoticed, since the doctor has often been the recipient of numerous honors recognizing his achievements, such as inclusion in Who’s Who in the East, The Dictionary of International Biography, and Two Thousand Men of Achievement.
