Increased stool immunoglobulin A level in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Kids with ASD show significantly higher stool IgA, flagging possible gut immune involvement.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Zhou et al. (2018) compared stool IgA levels between the kids with ASD and 60 matched controls.
All kids were 3-10 years old and lived in the same city. One stool sample per child was tested.
What they found
Children with ASD had almost double the stool IgA of controls. The difference was large and statistically significant.
Higher IgA hints at ongoing gut immune activity in many kids on the spectrum.
How this fits with other research
Kaiser et al. (2022) pooled data from 11 studies and found kids with ASD are 1.5 times more likely to later develop inflammatory bowel disease. The raised IgA seen by Jiaxiu could be an early sign of this risk.
Karagözlü et al. (2022) also point to gut issues: they showed higher serum zonulin (a leaky-gut marker) in ASD, especially when GI symptoms are severe. Together, these papers build a picture of gut barrier and immune problems in ASD.
Cai et al. (2025) extend the stool work further. They found microbial DNA patterns that distinguish ASD (and ADHD) kids from controls with a large share accuracy. Combining IgA with microbe testing might sharpen future screening.
Why it matters
If you serve kids with ASD, watch for GI complaints and consider a simple stool IgA test when symptoms show. It is cheap, non-invasive, and can flag immune activation before full IBD develops. Sharing these results with pediatricians can speed referrals and dietary supports.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: There are currently no effective treatments for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, alleviating gastrointestinal (GI) problems, which are prevalent in ASD patients, can significantly improve the core symptoms of autism. Previous studies have associated GI disorders in ASD patients with abnormal gut microbiota, although few disease-related microorganisms have been identified. Considering that the gut microbiome affects the intestinal immune system and the patient's behavior, and that immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the main antibody secreted by intestinal immune cells, we investigated stool IgA content as a means of understanding the gut immune status of ASD patients. The IgA level in gut can be used as factor to know the Gene x Environment interactions and diagnose of ASDs. METHODS: We enrolled 43 ASD patients and 31 gender- and age-matched healthy children. Stool IgA content was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: We found that IgA levels were significantly higher in stool samples from ASD patients than from healthy children (p<0.05, Student's t test). CONCLUSIONS: This finding may suggest the presence of gut immune abnormalities in ASD patients. Further studies with larger patient and control cohorts will be necessary to determine whether stool IgA levels can be used as a biomarker for ASDs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2018 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.10.009