| Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) - As An | | | | two to seven) who had milder autism. |
| Effective Treatment For Autism | | | | In various hyperbaric treatment research and |
| Recently, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has | | | | study, children with autism are treated with HBOT |
| increased in popularity as a treatment for autism. | | | | in hyperbaric chambers at atmospheric pressures |
| Numerous studies document oxidative stress and | | | | and oxygen concentrations in current use for this |
| inflammation in individuals with autism; both of | | | | condition. Changes in markers of oxidative stress |
| these conditions have demonstrated improvement | | | | and inflammation are measured. The children are |
| with Hyperbaric therapy or HBOT, along with | | | | evaluated to determine clinical effects and safety. |
| enhancement of neurological function and cognitive | | | | Treatment Methods: |
| performance. | | | | Eighteen children with autism, ages 3-16 years, |
| You might be familiar with hyperbaric oxygen | | | | underwent 40 hyperbaric sessions of 45 minutes |
| treatment, in which a patient breathes in extra | | | | duration each at either 1.5 atmospheres (atm) and |
| oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber, as a | | | | 100% oxygen, or at 1.3 atm and 24% oxygen. |
| therapy for the bends and carbon monoxide | | | | Measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP) and |
| poisoning. But while a small segment of families | | | | markers of oxidative stress, including plasma |
| with autistic children believe it helps their kids, | | | | oxidized glutathione (GSSG), are assessed by |
| insurance generally doesn't pay for it, and many | | | | fasting blood draws collected before and after the |
| doctors are skeptical that it does any good. | | | | 40 treatments. Changes in clinical symptoms, as |
| New research in today's BMC Pediatrics may give | | | | rated by parents, are also assessed. The children |
| the hyperbaric therapy more credibility as a | | | | are closely monitored for potential adverse |
| treatment for autism. The randomized, | | | | effects. |
| double-blind controlled study of 62 children found | | | | Results: |
| that those who received 40 hours of hyperbaric | | | | At the endpoint of 40 hyperbaric sessions, neither |
| treatment over a month were less irritable, more | | | | group demonstrated statistically significant |
| responsive when people spoke to them, made | | | | changes in mean plasma GSSG levels, indicating |
| more eye contact and were more sociable than | | | | intracellular oxidative stress appears unaffected |
| kids who didn't receive it. | | | | by either regimen. A trend towards improvement |
| They were also less sensitive to noise (some | | | | in mean CRP was present in both groups; the |
| autistic children experience a kind of sensory | | | | largest improvements were observed in children |
| overload from loud sounds and background noise). | | | | with initially higher elevations in CRP. When all 18 |
| The most improvement was observed in kids | | | | children were pooled, a significant improvement in |
| older than five (the study included children ages | | | | CRP was found (p = 0.021). |