Augmentin

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Could one of the most widely prescribed antibiotics amoxicillin/clavulanate “

augmentin™†be a risk factor for autism?

 

Joan Fallon,

 

1234 Central Avenue, Suite 1B, Yonkers, NY 10704, USA

 

Received 23 June 2003;  accepted 12 June 2004.  Available online 17 November

2004.

 

Summary

 

Autism is an ever increasing problem in the United States. Characterized by

multiple deficits in the areas of communication, development, and behavior;

autistic children are found in every community in this country and abroad.

Recent

findings point to a significant increase in autism which can not be accounted

for by means such as misclassification. The state of California recently

reported a 273% increase in the number of cases between 1987 and 1998. Many

possible causes have been proposed which range from genetics to environment,

with a

combination of the two most likely. Since the introduction of

clavulanate/amoxicillin in the 1980s there has been the increase in numbers of

cases of

autism.

 

In this study 206 children under the age of three years with autism were

screened by means of a detailed case history. A significant commonality was

discerned and that being the level of chronic otitis media. These children were

found to have a mean number 9.96 bouts of otitis media (with a standard error of

the mean of ±1.83). This represents a sum total for all 206 children of 2052

bouts of otitis media. These children received a mean number of 12.04 courses of

antibiotics (standard error of the mean of ±.125). The sum total number of

courses of antibiotics given to all 206 children was 2480. Of those 893 courses

were Augmentin. with 362 of these Augmentin courses administered under the age

of one year.

 

A proposed mechanism whereby the production of clavulanate may yield high

levels of urea/ammonia in the child is presented. Further an examination of this

mechanism needs to be undertaken to determine if a subset of children are at

risk for neurotoxicity from the use of clavulanic acid in pharmaceutical

preparations.