New Blood Test Could Lead to Earlier Austism Diagnosis
Scientists from the University of Warwick have found a link between autism and proteins in blood which they believe could lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention IFLScience.com reported. A study lead by Dr. Naila Rabbani and published in Molecular Autism looks for damaged proteins via blood and urine tests.The study looked at blood and urine samples from 38 children with autism and 31 healthy children between the ages of 5 and 12 and found that there were chemical differences between the two groups.
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) had higher levels of ditryosine (DT) and advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). They also found that “their results were better than any method currently available to detect ASD, being up to about 90 percent accurate.” The team also hopes the test will also reveal new causative factors. “With further testing we may reveal specific plasma and urinary profiles or ‘fingerprints’ of compounds with damaging modifications. This may help us improve the diagnosis of ASD and point the way to new casuses of ASD,” Dr. Rabbani said.
