**Part 5**

**Other Conceptual Advances & New Insights** 

514 Autoimmune Disorders – Current Concepts and Advances from Bedside to Mechanistic Insights

Yaqoob, P., Newsholme, E.A. & Calder, P.C. (1994). Inhibition of natural killer cell activity

Yuceyar, H., Ozutemiz, O., Huseyinov, A., Saruc, M., Alkanat, M., Bor, S., Coker, I. &

2478; 0165-2478.

3278; 0952-3278.

by dietary lipids. *Immunology letters,* Vol 41, No.2-3, pp 241-247, ISSN/ISBN 0165-

Batur, Y. (1999). Is administration of n-3 fatty acids by mucosal enema protective against trinitrobenzene-induced colitis in rats? *Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids,* Vol 61, No.6, pp 339-345, ISSN/ISBN 0952-

**26** 

*USA* 

Xiaohong Li and Hua Zou

**Autoimmune Disorder and Autism** 

*New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities* 

Autism (also known as classic autism or autism disorder) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. Typically diagnosed before three years old, autistic children usually present with significant language delays, social and communication impairments, as well as abnormal repetitive and restrictive behaviors. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) however, refers to a boarder definition of autism. Based on the severity of the clinical conditions, ASD is further divided into three subgroups namely autism (the most severe type of ASD), Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS; also

Of note, current diagnosis criteria of these disorders are based on behavior tests, no single biomarker has been clinically accepted, which mainly due to the difficulties for studying cellular and molecular etiology of ASD. First, subjects among different researches lack of comparability because of the diagnostic heterogeneity [4]. Second, the prevalence of ASD is relatively low therefore sample sizes are usually too small for statistical analysis. Third, comparing with other diseases, the young ages of the autistic subjects make biological study difficult. Forth, valid control groups require age-, gender-, IQ- and socioeconomic statusmatched developmentally normal subjects, which most studies failed to satisfy with [5].

ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups, and are about four times more likely to occur in boys than in girls probably due to the extremes of typical male neuroanatomy of autism [6, 7]. Studies in Asia, Europe and North America have identified individuals with ASD with an approximate prevalence of 6/1,000 to over 10/1,000 [8]. Chronologically, the prevalence of ASD increased from 0.8/1,000 in 1983 to 4.6/1,000 in 1999 in Western Australia, while this ratio increased from 6.6/1,000 in 2000 to 9/1,000 in 2006 in United States [9-11]. This increase is probably because of changes and broadening of the diagnostic criteria and due to heightened awareness, but may also reflect, in part, a true increase due to environmental factors acting upon a genetically

The relationship between immune disorders and ASD has been proposed for decades. Based on the epidemiological data, higher rate of autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid

**1. Introduction** 

**1.1 Diagnosis of ASD** 

called atypical autism) [1-3].

**1.2 Epidemiology** 

vulnerable background [12, 13].

**2. Immune disorders and autism** 
