Is Secretin A Safe And Effective Treatment For Autism?

Oct. 23, 2008 -- Question: Is Secretin a safe and effective treatment for autism?

Answer: Secretin is a pancreatic hormone that's involved in the regulation of gastric function. In 1998, three children with autistic spectrum disorders were given IV Secretin as part of an upper endoscopy and they showed improvement with regards to their autistic spectrums. But since then there have been more than a dozen randomized, placebo controlled, double blind studies involving more than 700 children that have not shown Secretin to be effective for treating autistic spectrum disorders. And Secretin is currently not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.