Method for treating pervasive development disorders
A method of utilizing the chymotrypsin level of an individual as a measure of the success of secretin, other neuropeptides, and peptides or digestive enzyme administration to such individuals, and in particular, as a prognosticative of potential secretin, other neuropeptides, peptides, and digestive enzyme administration for persons having ADD, ADHD, Autism and other PDD related disorders.
1. A method of selecting an individual with a Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) for treatment with a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes comprising:
a. measuring a level of chymotrypsin in a fecal sample obtained from the individual, comprising detecting chymotrypsin in the fecal sample by photospectrometry;
b. identifying a patient to be treated as having a subnormal level of chymotrypsin; and
c. selecting the individual for treatment with a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes if the measured chymotrypsin level is subnormal.
2. A method of selecting an individual with a Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) for treatment with a pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes comprising:
a. measuring a level of chymotrypsin in a fecal sample obtained from the individual, comprising detecting chymotrypsin in the fecal sample by photospectrometry;
b. selecting the individual for treatment with the pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes if the measured chymotrypsin level is subnormal; and
c. administering the pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more digestive enzymes if the individual is selected for treatment.
3. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the individual is a child.
4. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the PDD is selected from Autism, Aspergers, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
5. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the one or more digestive enzymes comprise amylase, protease, lipase or any combination thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein photospectrometry comprises an enzymatic photospectrometry method.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the level of chymotrypsin present in the fecal sample is determined at 30° C.
8. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the individual has a symptom of PDD comprising an impairment in making eye contact with another individual, a lack of social interaction, a delay or lack of spoken language, a repetitive pattern of behavior, hyperactivity, a lack of attention, a lack of a formed bowel movement, a lack of toilet training, or any combination thereof.
9. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the measured fecal chymotrypsin level is sub-normal if it lies below 8.4 U/gram.
10. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the digestive enzymes comprise chymotrypsin, trypsin, cellulase, sucrose, or maltase.
11. The method of claim 2 , wherein administering the digestive enzymes reduces the frequency or severity of a symptom of PDD in the individual.