ArticleBiological trace element research2025
Evaluation of Heavy Metals and Essential Minerals in the Hair of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Association with Symptom Severity.
Article in Biological trace element research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Hair Elemental Homeostasis in Uruguayan Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multielement Biomonitoring Study.Biological trace element research · 2026Article
- Environmental metal exposure and autism spectrum disorder: spatial analysis of exposure patterns and associated risk among children in Alabama.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2026Article
- Co-exposure to lead and cadmium is associated with increased severity of social deficits in children with autism spectrum disorders.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Contributions of Retinoid Signaling to Autism-like Behaviors Induced by Early Postnatal Lead Exposure in the Mouse Cerebellum.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The exact cause of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unclear. The accumulation of heavy metals and the imbalance of trace elements are believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of ASD. This study aimed to compare the levels of trace elements and heavy metals in the hair of 1-16-year-old children with varying ASD severity. We included a control group of 57 children, as well as 124 children with autism, consisting of 53 with mild to moderate autism and 71 with severe autism. Questionnaires and hair samples were collected, and 21 chemical elements were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Children with severe autism showed significantly higher levels of the trace elements copper (Cu) and heavy metals vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in their bodies compared to the control group. Boys with severe autism showed significantly higher levels of Cu, As, Cd, and Pb compared to the control group, while girls with severe autism exhibited significantly lower levels of potassium (K) and increased levels of Pb. Severely autistic children under 7 years old had significantly increased levels of Mn, Cu, V, Co, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb. Children with severe autism aged 7-16 years typically showed significantly higher levels of Cu and As. These findings underscore the importance of heavy metals and essential minerals as environmental factors in the severity of ASD disease.
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