Author Interviews, Autism, Gastrointestinal Disease, Psychological Science / 05.01.2017
Stress May Aggravate GI Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
David Q. Beversdor MD
Center for Translational Neuroscience
University Hospital
University of Missouri Health System
Columbia, MO 65212
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Altered stress reactivity, alterations in cytokines and a high incidence of gastrointestinal disturbances have all been observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We wished to examine the interactions between these factors.
What we found was that patients with greater stress reactivity, as indicated by cortisol response in the testing environment, had greater symptomatology involving the lower gastrointestinal tract, which was predominated by constipation.
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