Autism a risk factor for cardiovascular disease: Study

"This latest research is part of our ongoing work to understand some of the co-occurring conditions with ASD," said Elaine Tierney, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with Kennedy Krieger Institute. "Our work indicates that lipids are abnormal in many individuals with ASD. Our findings, in addition to studies that show an increase in heart disease in individuals with ASD, lead us to recommend that children with ASD be screened for abnormal total and HDL cholesterol levels. We hope our work underscores the importance of cholesterol screening and raises awareness for families in the ASD community."

Prior to the completion of this research, Dr. Tierney and her colleagues identified that Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (SLOS), a genetic condition of impaired cholesterol biosynthesis, is associated with autism. A 2007 study completed by her and other researchers led to a recommendation that all children with ASD be screened for SLOS if they exhibit some of its characteristics, such as slow growth, microcephaly, mental retardation and other birth defects, although the severity of this rare disease can vary.

As an extension of this latest study, Dr. Tierney and researchers with the Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are performing analyses of whole genome sequencing data with study participants to determine if there are lipid-related genetic alterations in patients with ASD and abnormal lipid levels. A next step for the research team is to study populations of individuals who have only one person in their family with ASD to see if the abnormal cholesterol and other lipid levels are different in those families than they are in families with at least two individuals with ASD.