What is known as autism It is a whole spectrum of highly hereditary disorderseven in aspects such as diagnostic age. A study collected on Wednesday at the Nature magazine He has identified two different genetic profiles associated with earlier and sourward diagnoses.
The work, the result of a wide international collaboration directed by the Department of Psychiatry of the British University of Cambridge, concludes that the minors diagnosed earlybefore the age of six, they form a very different subgroup of those to whom the disorder is detected later, and confirms that autism It is not a unit condition.
Genetic data comes from More than 45,000 people of multiple cohorts of Europe and the United States, and those of the behavior of smaller samples, between 89 and 188 autistic people per group, obtained through questionnaires of strengths and difficulties answered by caregivers.
The findings indicate that children diagnosed with autism at an earlier age (usually before the age of six) are more prone to show behavioral difficulties from early childhoodas problems of social interaction.
The diagnosed with autism later, towards adolescence or even beyond, are more prone to experience social and behavioral difficulties During adolescence and are more likely to suffer from mental health disorders, such as depression.
Investigating genetic characteristics depending on the diagnostic age, scientists saw Two very different profiles.
Closer to depression
They discovered that the average genetic profile of autism diagnosed later is closer to that of the Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to the posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, than to the autism diagnosed in early childhood.
That greater genetic coincidence between autism diagnosed from adolescence and certain psychiatric disorders would indicate, according to scientists, that there may be some genetic factors that increase the risk of mental disorders Among the people diagnosed with autism later.
Late diagnosis also implies more Lack of early childhood supportwhich would influence the increased risk of mental health problems in the group diagnosed later, being more vulnerable to bullying among others, the researchers point out.
The team also warned that commonly hereditary gene factors These disorders influence the diagnostic age, which would also be inherited.
“We have already discovered that autism diagnosed early and late has different biological and development profilesthe next step will be to understand the complex interaction between genetics and social factors that imply worse mental health among autistic people diagnosed lately, “says one of the authors, Varun Warrier, a researcher at the University of Cambridge.
“Hay genetic influences that predispose people to show autistic features from a very early age that can be identified more easily, which leads to a more early diagnosis, while there are others that make traits not evident until the last stage of childhood or adolescence, “Warrier adds.
“Understand how the characteristics of autism emerge not only in early childhood, but also later, could help us recognize, diagnose and support better To autistic people of all ages, “he concludes.
