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From a very young I age I became fascinated with the autism spectrum disorder. Observing children has always been something I revel in and I often can sense things in children that other people cannot. When it comes to autism I am intrigued as to why it causes such turmoil in some children and is barely noticeable in others. I have bought books, done research and signed up for all sorts of groups and newsletters to learn more.

This morning doing my daily reading through the news I stumbled across an article about how studying children with autism while they are running a fever has caused the need for further observation with doctors.

Researchers studied 30 patients with autism and the results were overwhelming. "They found that a fever of at least 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit improved symptoms such as arm flapping and body rocking, as well as irritability and hyperactivity." Clearly the disorder is completely neurology based, but how can a fever decrease those symptoms?

Of course the argument from other doctors is that a fever can cause lethargy in anyone. But to me this doesn't sound like a matter of lethargy. And a fever of 100.4 is still low enough that it shouldn't change your actions THAT much.

A fever can restore nerve cell communications in the brain, perhaps because the extra heat causes slight inflammation. The stimulation in children with autism causes them to behave more calmly and less erratically. Perhaps instead of being completely due to nerve cell communications it is also due to the immune system focusing efforts on healing the infected part of the body. Or maybe it is related to some sort of bacteria made by the body of a person with autism...? Because when you have a fever bacteria will begin to die due to the higher temperatures around it. Once your immune system stops inducing a fever because it has fought the infection then your body returns to normal temperature and the bacteria can fester again. So if for some reason there is a certain residue of bacteria made by the brains of people with austism then it would make sense they behave substantially different during a fever.

I don't know the answers, I'm not a doctor, but I am thrilled beyond belief that this study has brought forth such questions and possibilities. It has definitely got me thinking!

SOURCE

Labels: autism, fever, research