Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

All samples analyzed in this study are part of the ABIS (Alla Barn I SydÖstra Sverige) registry, stored at the Division of Pediatrics of the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine of the Linköping Hospital.
The original goal of the ABIS study, conducted by Dr. Johnny Ludvigsson, was to investigate the emergence of diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis in Swedish children. In this context cord blood, breastmilk, hair of the mother and blood of the child at the age of 1, 3 and 5 years was obtained. In addition to those samples a questionnaire was filled out by the mother. The participation was voluntary.
The study comprised male and female children which were born between 1997 and 1999 in the Swedish provinces Blekinge and Smland. The age of the mother at birth of the child ranged between 18 and 35 years of age, whereas that of the father ranged between 22 and 53 years of age. The nationality of both is unknown.

This study is an extension of the original ABIS study and is meant as a pilot project assessing the role of prenatal exposure to certain metals for the development of autism, serum positive rheumatoid arthritis (ANA) and diabetes. In this context, 40 cord blood samples were obtained. Of those 40 samples, each 10 belonged to the different disease groups (autism, ANA and diabetes), whereas 10 additional samples belonged to healthy control subjects, serving as control group.
These samples were analyzed for the concentration of iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lithium (Li), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). The analysis of the metal levels was done by ALS Scandinavia using the method ICP-SFMS after acid digestion.