%0 Journal Article %A CHU Li-ting %A HU Shao-hua %A MA Chen-huan %A WANG Yu %A ZHU Pei-ying %A PAN Li-zhu %T Serum polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in children with autism spectrum disorders %D 2022 %R 10.11852/zgetbjzz2021-1121 %J Chinese Journal of Child Health Care %P 72-75 %V 30 %N 1 %X Objective To investigate the expression level of serum polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in order to provide theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of ASD. Methods From December 2020 to June 2021, 45 ASD children and 30 typically developed children were selected in the Department of Children Health Care of Shanghai Children's Hospital. The content of PUFAs in their peripheral blood serum was determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI) and a self-designed dietary questionnaire were used to understand the differences in dietary behavior and dietary structure between ASD children and the control group. Then the influencing factors of serum PUFAs expression level in ASD children were further analyzed. Results Serum levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), arachidonic acid (AA), linoleic acid (LA), total n-3 PUFAs and total n-6 PUFAs in ASD group were decreased (t=2.81,2.04,2.94,2.33,2.11,2.63, P<0.05), especially EPA and AA were significantly decreased (P<0.01). Diet and behavioral problems (including food refusal, ASD related feeding problems, limited variety of foods) and total score of children in the ASD group were higher than those in the control group (t=2.93, 13.42, 2.22, 8.40, P<0.05). The overall interest in diet of children in ASD group was lower than that in the control group(t=2.70, P<0.05), especially in fish (t=5.03, P<0.05). Conclusions The content of serum PUFAs in ASD children is lower than that in healthy children, which may be related to dietary behavior and dietary preference. Supplement of PUFAs may be one of the auxiliary methods for the treatment of ASD children. %U https://manu41.magtech.com.cn/Jwk_zgetbjzz/EN/10.11852/zgetbjzz2021-1121