Hearing testing in autistic spectrum disorder: is it unnecessary in low and middle-income countries?

Background: In low and middle-income countries where the health care is in a weakened state, spending money on unaffordable and probably unnecessary investigations might be substituted by a reliable, simple and more informative tool that can deal with the problem.

Aims: To examine current medical practice of measuring auditory brainstem response for all children with autistic spectrum disorder, and assess the value of this test in these children and its applicability in low and middle-income countries such as Libya.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all children with autistic spectrum disorder who presented to neurodevelopment clinics of Al-Khadra Teaching Hospital, Tripoli, Libya between January 2010 and December 2014.

Autosomal-recessive iron deficiency anemia, dystonia and hypermanganesemia caused by new variant mutation of the manganese transporter gene SLC39A14.

This inborn error of manganese metabolism has only recently been identified. A total of 28 affected individuals from ten families are known worldwide. Mutations in SLC39A14, encoding a Mn uptake transporter, have recently been recognized to cause excessive Mn concentrations in the blood which is believed to be neurotoxic and lead to a parkinsonian-like movement disorder caused by accumulation of Mn in the basal ganglia.

MRI or not to MRI! Should brain MRI be a routine investigation in children with autistic spectrum disorders?

To evaluate the routine usage of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of brain and estimate the prevalence of brain abnormalities in children presenting to the Neurodevelopment Clinic of Al-Khadra Hospital (NDC-KH), Tripoli, Libya with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The records of all children with ASD presented to NDC-KH over 4-year period (from January 2009 to December 2012) were reviewed. All MRIs were acquired with a 1.

Is there a need for a focused health care service for children with autistic spectrum disorders? A keyhole look at this problem in Tripoli, Libya.

Background: Autism is a global disorder, but relatively little is known about its presentation and occurrence in many developing countries, including Libya.

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders in children referred to Al-Khadra hospital (KH). To increase the awareness among pediatrician and primary health care providers of the importance of considering autism in children presenting with speech and language disorders.