Playing politics with Autism
After the US FDA announcement of the introduction of a new warning label for use of the drug paracetamol (acetaminophen) in pregnancy because of a supposed increased risk of autism in children, the two old geezers got dragged into the MSM to put forward their pearls of wisdom.
By now, you should know how underwhelmed we were by the entire act, especially by its timing.
Putting aside the hullabaloo, let’s concentrate on the issue of autism, especially the severe cases. Some causal factors are known or likely, such as cocaine abuse, genetic predisposition probably triggered by environmental stimuli, sodium valproate and so on.
However, autism is a complex problem and unlikely to have a single cause. Most of all, it is a serious problem for the families, the autistic people and their carers.
One of our patients became autistic around the age of 5. His parents had to put locks on the doors as he would run out in the middle of the street. Now in his early twenties, he is twice the size of his parents; they physically cannot control him and had to put him into a facility for the severely autistic. What these poor souls have suffered and will continue to suffer is difficult to describe. Humanity, warmth, support, and solidarity are the feelings that spring to mind.
His younger sister is ashamed of having a “stupid brother”, which is understandable in adolescence, but a view she will bitterly come to regret.
We think that playing politics, grandstanding, and offering simplistic solutions to tragedies or complex problems is beneath the belt.
The two old geezers believe that if governments truly want to gain a deeper understanding and help, they should invest in a properly resourced, large prospective cohort; the larger, the better. In this cohort, you can nest several studies testing different hypotheses, starting with case definitions and analysis of each variable, which may or may not play a role in the development of autistic children and then adults.
There is no room for retrospective data dredging to answer the vital questions that affect the families of those with debilitating autism. The use of pseudoscience mumbo jumbo only allows politicians to play their games with serious, complex, life-changing problems.
This post was written by two old geezers who take conditions like autism seriously.
Source: Trust The Evidence
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