Gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder: A review of the literature on ascertainment and prevalence.

Calliope B HolingueCarol NewillLi-Ching LeePankaj J PasrichaM Daniele Fallin

Published in: Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research (2017)

We reviewed studies having to do with autism spectrum disorder and the gastrointestinal system, dating back to 1980. We found that the median prevalence of constipation was 22.2%, diarrhea 13.0%, and any symptom 46.8%. All symptoms had a wide range of estimates across studies. GI symptoms were associated with characteristics of the study, including who measured the GI symptoms. We call for the development of a reliable and valid GI questionnaire for studies of ASD.

Keyphrases

autism spectrum disorder
sleep quality
case control
risk factors
cross sectional
clostridium difficile
abdominal pain