Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Thai Autistic Children
Jessada Chungpaibulpatana MD*, Tappana Sumpatanarax MD**, Noppol Thadakul MD***, Chansin Chantharatreerat MD*, Maytinee Konkaew MA**, Methira Aroonlimsawas BA (Psychology)**
Affiliation : * Department of Medicine, Phuket Hospital, Phuket ** Department of Psychiatry, Phuket Hospital, Phuket *** Department of Pediatrics, Phuket Hospital, Phuket
Background : Autism is a developmental and behavioral pattern, the triad of impairments, 1. social interaction,
2. social communication, 3. imagination. Their memories are seemingly in picture or photo records. Difficulties
in the treatment, management, and handling of autistic children are the main problems. Hyperbaric oxygen
therapy (HBOT) is a modern treatment in Thailand for nitrogen imbalance (Decompression sickness syndrome
or Caisson disease). HBOT can increase plasma oxygen to the tissues including the brain.
Objective : To determine whether Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is safe to use in children with autism, and has a
statistically significant effect on autistic symptoms. This is the first study in Thailand.
Material and Method: Thai Autistic children (n = 7) received HBOT (1.3 atm., 10 sessions) treatment. Assess-
ment was done before and after treatment in five domains: Social development, Fine motor and Eye - hand
coordination, Language development, Gross motor development, Self - help skills.
Results : Improvement was shown in five domains with a significant level. Seventy-five percent of children
shown improvement while 25% did not seem to respond to the treatment.
Conclusion : HBOT is a new treatment for Thai autistic children. Many scientific studies recently have shown
that HBOT could be an effective treatment for autistic children. It could improve the major autistic symptoms.
Keywords : HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy), Autistic (autism), Oxidative stress (free radicals), Oxygen (O2)
