Biotin/Biotinidase Deficiency in Autism and perhaps Autistic Partial Biotin Deficiency (APBD)?
Crete, as seen from the International Space Station By ISS Expedition 28 crew (NASA Earth Observatory) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons In this blog there is a tab at the top called “Disorders leading to Autism” . This includes a long list of, supposedly rare, known conditions that lead to the development of autism. In that list is Biotin deficiency and I even put the name of the gene that is thought to be dysfunctional. The BTD gene encodes an enzyme called Biotinidase , that in turn allows the body to use and recycle biotin . Biotin deficiency is a known cause of autism, but it seems that the assumption is made that the cause is Biotinidase deficiency . The usual test done is for Biotinidase deficiency. In good hospitals they routinely test for many of these dysfunctions when a child is originally diagnosed with autism. When I say good hospitals, I mean big US hospitals attached to a university. In other countries such testing rar...