Despite anecdotal evidence suggesting that secretin is a useful treatment for autism, the results of a new review do not support a therapeutic role for this gastrointestinal hormone.

The interest in secretin as an autism therapy began in 1998 when several small studies yielded encouraging results. “Since then, the use of secretin has become widespread and it is currently being dispensed in many different forms and in countries where it is not licensed,” lead author Dr. Katrina Williams, from the Children’s Hospital in Westmeade, Australia, said in a statement.

As reported in the July 20th online issue of The Cochrane Library, Williams’ team conducted a search of several online databases, including MEDLINE, to identify trials that compared secretin with placebo as a treatment for autism spectrum disorder in children or adults. Fourteen studies were included.

There was no evidence that secretin therapy improved the core features of autism, such as social difficulties, impaired speaking skills, and repetitive behaviors, the investigators note.

The results indicate that secretin should not be recommended as a treatment for autism, the authors emphasize.

Based on past experience, these findings may have little impact on the views of autism patients or their caregivers. In a 1999 study, 63 percent of parents surveyed still expressed an interest in secretin therapy even though it produced no significant improvements in their children.

“The many needs of these individuals trigger hope for a cure,” Williams noted. “As a result, therapies like secretin have become widely used after limited reports of success.”

SOURCE: The Cochrane Library, July 20, 2005.