The complementary role of high sensitivity C-reactive protein in the diagnosis and severity assessment of autism

Abstract C-reactive protein (CRP) is a beneficial diagnostic test for the evaluation of inflammatory response. Extremely low levels of CRP can be detected using high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) test. A considerable body of evidence has demonstrated that inflammatory response has an important role in the pathophysiology of autism. In this study, we evaluated and compared hs-CRP levels between autistic and intellectually normal individuals. Clinical data of 39 autistic and 30 age-matched intellectually normal individuals (control group) were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups (mild-to-moderate and severe) according to childhood autism rating scale. Then serum hs-CRP concentrations were measured and compared between two groups. Also, the correlation between hs-CRP concentration and the severity of autism was determined. The mean concentration of hs-CRP in children with autism (540.1 ± 1125.5 ng/ml) was significantly ( P P  = 0.008) higher than the mean level of hs-CRP in patients with mild-to-moderate autism (147.1 ± 60.4 ng/ml). There was a positive correlation between hs-CRP concentration and autism severity ( r  = 0.34; P  = 0.039). These findings affirm the role of inflammation in autism.