The relationship between the cytokines and hs-CRP levels in children with autism and their comparison with healthy ones

Previous studies suggest that dysregulation of the immune system is involved in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The aim of the present study was to investigate some pre-and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the serum of children with autism and healthy children and to determine the correlation between these cytokines and hs-CRP.

Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-1RA, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α cytokines and hs-CRP were assessed in twenty boys with autism spectrum disorder, aged 6 to 14 years, and 20 healthy controls. To analyze the data, multivariate analysis of variance analysis was used to compare the variables in the two groups, and Pearson correlation coefficient was utilized to assess the relationship between the levels of the cytokines and hs-CRP at the level of 0,05. SPSS software version 21 was used.

The results showed that the level of all cytokines as well as hs-CRP in the autistic group was significantly higher than normal children (p<0.001), but there was no statistically significant relationship between cytokines and hs-CRP levels in children with autism (p>0.05).

The results suggest that abnormal immune responses such as increased levels of cytokines can be served as one of the biological markers of ASD.