Measuring iron concentration in the blood samples of some autistic children from Baghdad City
Exploring Potential Nutritional Links to Autism: A Study of Iron in Baghdad Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24237/ASJ.03.01.838BKeywords:
Autism, Heavy metals, iron, Flame atomic absorption spectrometryAbstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research delved into the correlation between genetic susceptibility and various environmental factors, including diet, drug exposure, and environmental toxicants such as exposure to heavy metals. Iron is one of the heavy metals around which there is much controversy regarding their role as neurotoxins in the development of autism, its excess in the brain may cause Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, while iron deficiency in the blood may increase levels of other heavy metals in the blood and brain, such as cadmium and lead. This study aimed to measure iron levels in samples of autistic children in Baghdad City. Blood serum samples were collected from 60 patients with autism spectrum disorder and 35 healthy controls to measure iron levels. The samples were frozen and analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The study found that children with autism had significantly higher iron levels than healthy children with a mean value of 37.409±5.969 μg/ d (P ≤ 0.01). Possible causes for this condition include specific drugs, genetic disorders, or the dietary habits of the ASD. Iron may be a factor in ASD, and it's possible that Iraqi environmental pollution is the cause of the higher iron levels in autistic children. The study suggests that any change in iron levels might have an impact on the brain since it is an important component of the body. Without a doubt, toxic metal overload or key element shortages can cause epigenetic modifications that impair neuronal maturation and lead to neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the form of developmental disorders in children.
References
Rosenberg, R. N. (2015). Rosenberg's molecular and genetic basis of neurological and psychiatric disease. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Data & statistics on autism spectrum disorder. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Richard, D. A., More, W., & Joy, S. P. (2015). Recognizing emotions: testing an intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders. Art Therapy, 32(1), 13-19.
Fergusson, J.E., ed. (1990). The Heavy Elements: Chemistry, Environmental Impact and Health Effects. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Wessling-Resnick, M. (2014). Iron. In: Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, Tucker KL, Ziegler RG, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 11th ed. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014:176-88.
Aggett, P. J. (2012). Iron. In: Erdman JW, Macdonald IA, Zeisel SH, eds. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 10th ed. Washington, DC: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012:506-20.
Murray-Kolbe, L. E., & Beard, J. (2010). Iron. In: Coates PM, Betz JM, Blackman MR, et al., eds. Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements.2nd ed. London and New York:Informa Healthcare; 2010:432-8.
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020). Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. 2020.
National Institutes of Health. (2004). Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet. Iron.
Islam, F., & Shohag, S. (2022). Iron deficiency anemia and its impact on autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13, 903099. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.903099
Atiya, L. R., & Abdulhay, H. S. (2022). DNA-damage in blood of welders occupationally exposed to welding fume using comet assay. Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 20(3), 513–517.
Thirupathi, A., & Chang, Y. Z. (2019). Brain iron metabolism and CNS diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1173, 1–19. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-9589-5_1
Zhang, M., Mo, H., Sun, W., Guo, Y., & Li, J. (2016a). Systematic isolation and characterization of cadmium tolerant genes in tobacco: A cDNA library construction and screening approach. PLoS One, 11, e0161147. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161147
Chawla, S., Gulyani, S., Allen, R. P., Earley, C. J., Li, X., Van Zijl, P., et al. (2019). Extracellular vesicles reveal abnormalities in neuronal iron metabolism in restless legs syndrome. Sleep, 42, zsz079. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsz079
Sobecka, M., Szymczak, W., & Skwierawski, R. (2022). The influence of storage conditions on the determination of lead, cadmium, and nickel in human serum. Biological Trace Element Research. doi:10.1007/s12011-022-02924-w.
Subramanian, V. (1987). Heavy metal determination in blood serum by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Analytical Chemistry, 59(9), 1842-1844.
Lafta, H., & Al-Mayaly, I. (2021). The Detection for Some Biological Indicators in Blood Specimens of Alzheimer’s Disease. International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical and Health Sciences, 8(3), 45-51.
Resano, M., Flórez, M. R., & García-Ruiz, E. (2013). Progress in the determination of metalloids and non-metals by means of high-resolution continuum source atomic or molecular absorption spectrometry. A critical review. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 406(9-10), 2239–2259. doi:10.1007/s00216-013-7522-9
Garcia, E., & Báez, J. (2012). Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). In Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry (pp. 1-16). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SAS Institute Inc. (2018). Statistical Analysis System, User's Guide. Statistical. Version 9.6th ed. SAS. Inst. Inc. Cary. N.C. USA.
World Health Organization (2023). Iron deficiency anaemia: Assessment, prevention, and control. A guide for programme managers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). Iron Deficiency: Recommendations for Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment in the United States.
Bener, A. et al. (2017). Iron deficiency in children with autism spectrum disorder: Prevalence and association with ASD severity. Autism Research, 10(6), 906-914.
Chen, N., Watanabe, K., Kobayakawa, T., & Makoto, A. (2022). Relationships between autistic traits, sensory processing, and cognitive flexibility in non-clinical adults. European Journal of Human Genetics, 29(31), 1-11. doi:10.1002/erv.2931
McCann, S., Perapoch Amadó, M., & Moore, S. E. (2020). The Role of Iron in Brain Development. Nutrients, 12(7), 2001. doi:10.3390/nu12072001
Piperno, A., Mariani, R., Trombini, P., Girelli, D. (2009). Hepcidin modulation in human diseases: from research to clinic. World J. Gastroenterol., 15, 538–551.
Reynolds, A., Krebs, N.F., Stewart, P.A., et al. (2012). Iron status in children with autism spectrum disorder. PEDIATRICS, 130 (Suppl2), S154–159.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002). Iron deficiency – United States, 1999–2000. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep., 51, 897–899.
Baj, J., et al. (2021). Trace elements imbalances and the pathogenesis and severity of autistic symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 129, 117-132.
American Psychological Association (1994). Children's mental health: A world view. Washington, DC: APA.
Moy, S. S. (2006). Iron deficiency in children. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 53(6), 1111-1129.
The Lancet Global Health Commission on Iron Deficiency. (2021). Iron deficiency anaemia: a global priority for child health and development. The Lancet Global Health, 9(12), e1793-e1810. doi:10.1016/S2214-1097(21)0043
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 CC BY 4.0
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
