ABSTRACT
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are an emerging health problem worldwide. So far, no definite cure for ASD exists. L-Carnosine is an amino acid containing ß-alanine and L-histidine which has been proposed to have neuroprotective, antioxidant and anti-convulsive properties that may benefit affected children with this disorder. This review aimed to assess the effect of L-Carnosine in the management of ASD in children. We systematically reviewed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which documented the effect of L-Carnosine in children with ASD. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, Clinical Trial Registry-India databases from inception to December 20, 2020. Articles were selected based on pre-set inclusion/exclusion criteria. The primary outcomes were changes in social, communication and behavioural responses and the secondary outcomes were improvement in sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems, oxidative stress markers and adverse effects. Jadad scale was used to assess the quality of RCTs and modified Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to check the risk of bias of the included studies. The meta-analysis was reported based on the fixed-effects model. Four double-blinded, placebo-controlled, RCTs and one open label trial with a total of 215 participants were selected for the review. All the trials were methodological of high quality according to the Jadad scale. The modified Cochrane risk of bias tool showed a low to high risk of bias. Results from the meta-analysis of three studies showed no significant difference between L-Carnosine and placebo groups in the Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS) (MD = - 2.57; 95% CI - 10.30, 5.16, p = 0.52) and in its socialisation (MD = - 1.51; 95% CI - 6.16, 3.14, p = 0.53), behaviour (MD = - 0.48; 95% CI - 4.82, 3.87, p = 0.83) and communication (MD = - 3.94; 95% CI - 10.00, 2.11, p = 0.20) subscales as well as the childhood autism rating scale (CARS) (MD = - 0.88; 95% CI - 6.96, 5.20; p = 0.78). Current data do not support the use of L-Carnosine in the management of children with ASD due to a low number of studies and sample size available. Further studies are warranted to know the effect of L-Carnosine for ASD management.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder/drug therapy , Carnosine/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology , Carnosine/adverse effects , Child , Child, Preschool , Dietary Supplements , Female , Humans , Male , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Challenges faced by non-COVID-19 patients with chronic illness are limitless during the lockdown period. These patients are mostly immunocompromised and vulnerable to infection. The worst affected would be chronic disease patients with lower household income. Patients' fear of approaching medical facilities and also travel restrictions limit the patients to reach the healthcare team, and either of this leads to poor health outcome. Frequent communication with chronic disease patients by healthcare professionals is a key to encourage the patients to be adherent to the medications and manage their disease conditions.
