Autism spectrum disorder in the children of chronic pain patients.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Autism spectrum disorder in the children of patients suffering from chronic pain.
IRAS ID
331233
Contact name
Allegra Hirst
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Walton Centre
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Chronic pain is a common health condition, and although the mechanisms underpinning chronic pain are often unclear, there is growing evidence that the primary chronic pain conditions fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) have an autoimmune component. Autoantibodies have gained attention as a potential pathogenic role in persistent pain states; in persistent complex regional pain syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome passive transfer of Immunoglobin G (IgG) antibodies from patient-donors cause symptoms to rodents that closely resemble those of the clinical disorders (Cuhudar et al., 2019; Goebel et al., 2021).
Independent of this, there is also growing interest in the role of the prenatal immune environment in the development of ASD in children. Previous retrospective research has demonstrated an increased likelihood of ASD in the children of mothers with any autoimmune disease (Chen et al. 2016; Kiel et al. 2010). Moreover, animal models have implicated IgG antibodies in the behavioural and cognitive features that characterise ASD. No specific causal factors have been identified, but it is theorized that the presence of pathologically significant maternal autoantibodies might affect foetal development during pregnancy.
The current study team conducted a service evaluation to record the frequency of reported neurodivergent children amongst a sample of chronic pain patients from the Walton Centre. This displayed an increased prevalence of ASD in the children of parents with a specific primary chronic pain condition, including FMS and CRPS. The present study will invite this same sample of chronic pain patients to prospectively investigate what factors underlie this increased prevalence. The sample will consist of all new patients from Prof A. Goebel’s pain outpatient clinics at the Walton Centre. This novel study could provide important insights into the risk factors associated with the development of ASD in the children of a sample population of chronic pain patients.
REC name
Wales REC 2
REC reference
24/WA/0056
Date of REC Opinion
3 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion