Autism Research - The Connection between Autism and Lyme Disease

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Autism Research Into Lyme Disease

Some current Autism Research is taking place to look into the possible relationship between the Autism Disorder and Lyme Disease. Autism Spectrum Disorder currently affects about one in every one hundred and fifty children with far more males affected than females. There was a spike in the number of cases of Autism around the middle of the 1990’s and the overall percentage of cases remains relatively high with the exact cause of the disorder remaining unknown. Despite a lack of knowledge regarding causation plenty of theories do exist and research is constantly undertaken and most children do respond to treatment. Recent research has uncovered a possible link between Lyme Disease and the onset of Autism and, while there is much work to do, the possibility appears tantalising.

Lyme Disease is usually caused by the bite of a small tick. The symptoms of the disease are confusion, aching joints, slurred words or word memory difficulty, a hazy mind and heightened sensitivity to sound and light. If it persists into later stages Lyme Disease can be life threatening and resulting in Multiple Sclerosis type symptoms and causing sever debilitation. It is treated with Antibiotics.

Some new research shows that up to ninety percent of children who suffer from Autism Syndrome are also infected with Lyme Disease; although it is not being argued that Lyme Disease is the precise cause for every case of Autism it has been suggested that it may be an inciting factor in the suppression of a sufferer’s immune system which would make them more susceptible to heavy metal toxicity and environmental factors which have previously been posited as possible causes of Autism.

Further research is being discussed and the Lyme Induced Autism Foundation, which was set up in 2006, is actively promoting fundraisers in order to raise enough money to induce more serious study of the relationship between these two areas. With such a high incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder among children since the mid to late 1990’s a breakthrough in understanding is in great demand and Autism Research into areas such as Lyme Disease may well offer some hope for sufferers and their families.