Pancreatic replacement therapy may improve maladaptive behaviour in preschool children with autism

USA: Findings from a recent study published in JAMA Network Open have suggested improvement in maladaptive behaviours in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as agitation or irritability with high-protease pancreatic replacement therapy. 

“Children who have ASD often have several co-occurring maladaptive behaviours, such as irritability. We wanted to know whether these maladaptive behaviours can be addressed by an intervention with a low risk of side effects,” said Deborah A. Pearson, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and lead author on this paper. Pearson is also the director of the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic at UTHealth Houston.

Pearson said many children with ASD are selective about the foods they eat, often preferring carbohydrates like bread and pasta over protein. Some amino acids necessary for building neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are associated with behavioural and cognitive function, can only be obtained from food through protein digestion.

A total of 190 children, ages 3-6, participated in the study. In the first double-blind phase of the trial, 92 children were randomized to the active treatment arm and took 900 mg of a microencapsulated high-protease pancreatic porcine enzyme that was sprinkled on their food three times daily. In the other arm, 98 children had a placebo sprinkled on their food for 12 weeks. In the second open-label phase, all of the children received the active medication for 24 weeks.