Hi,
My 5 yr old son has autism. He does some self-injury behavior, so we are going to try some low dose meds. Before the psychiatrist would prescribe the meds, he wanted to make sure that his liver was functioning normally. When the tests came back there were a few numbers that were slightly off. His glucose was a little high (107, but he wasn't fasting), his bilirubin was low, his platelets were slightly low (148...150-400 is normal). His ALT was normal (55), but his AST was 121..more than twice the normal . During this time, my son was running a fever. He was taking ibuprofen. He has had a low grade fever for 12 days now. I have taken him to the doctor twice and phoned in several more times. They keep telling me that it is just a virus and it will run it's course.
Is 121 for the AST cause for concern? could it be due to an illness? could the fever and elevated AST be related? I'm worried because my son doesn't seem to feel well. He is non-verbal, so I have to do a lot of guessing. He is low energy, not eating very much and just doesn't look well.
I ran across some information on the internet talking about copper poisoning. It said that it could be a cause of autism. It also talked about liver damage. I wonder if he could have it?
The psychiatrist ordered a liver panel, but doesn't want me to take my son in for the test until the fever is gone.
I would call his doctor today except that it's the weekend. I plan on calling on Tuesday morning, but just wondered if anybody here could provide some information.
Last edited by boysboysboys; 05-25-2008 at 02:10 PM.
I'm sorry your son is suffering with these issues.
You didn't mention it, but does your son have gut problems? Pale (almost white-ish) colored stools? Perhaps with a really foul odor? I ask because my son has had that issue off and on, and the color of it is what had me concerned for possible liver issues. All of his tests came back normal, which is great- but it didn't explain the unpleasant bowel problems.
I hope somebody else here can be of help to you. Best of luck to both of you!
Thank you for the response. He doesn't have white colored stool. He doesn't seem to have bowel issues. I had a pregnancy related liver problem when I was pregnant with him and his twin. It is called cholestasis. I had white colored stool at the time. I'm starting to wonder if my liver problem somehow gave him a problem. Also, his twin has autism too. The twin is very healthy and rarely gets sick. The one with the fever is frequently sick and has had a lot of ear infections. He had tubes in, but they have fallen out. The 2 times he was at the doctor's office recently they said his ears were clear. He doesn't seem to have any chest congestion. His fever stays around 100 degrees, he has dark circles under his eyes, his lymph nodes are swollen, he is low energy and has a poor appetite
Hi, sorry to hear your son is having so many problems.
I don't know anything about your tests or the liver problems, but the dark circles under his eyes and the ear problems sound like allergies. Many people on the spectrum (including me) have allergy problems. Dark circles under the eyes are many times a symptom of food allergies. I frequently have fever with my allergies, and if they aren't being treated properly, it will put me in bed for days. There is a book called "Is This Your Child" by Doris Rapp that I found very helpful. Many of us find omitting gluten and milk to be very helpful for many symptoms that would never be recognized as allergies.
thank you. I've thought of trying the GF/CF diet. I find my head spinning in circles trying to figure out which things to try and in which order! I will get the book you suggested. thanks
My son also had liver stress. We put him onto Liverlife and milk thistle. His energy returned and now, after about 1 year on LL his liverfunction is good. We are also doing loads of other things; see post FAO Chrissyboysma.
Yeast and fungal overload are also culprits of rings under eyes and all sorts of other behaviours as this is neurotoxic. Worth finding a DAN! doctor to help you investigate this. Other Doctors can be sceptical or unaware of other holistic treatments of autism.
Another big wow for my boy was Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy which I forgot to mention. A great yeast killer but only with high anitoxidants.
Hope this helps.
I will get the book you suggested. thanks
