MUMBAI: Stem cells may seem to the latest treatment fad among parents with autistic children, but doctors are divided over their efficacy.

Stem cell treatment, which runs into lakhs of rupees, is being offered at private clinics across Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad, said participants at a seminar organised by the Forum For Autism (FFA), at Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, on Saturday. "If Hyderabad doctors directly inject the stem cells into the brain, it is given intravenously in Pune. There is no standardization in treatment," said Dr Anahita Hegde, who is a paediatric neurologist with Breach Candy Hospital. She added that stem cells could emerge as the choice of treatment in years to come, but not as yet.

However, neurosurgeon Dr Alok Sharma, who offers stem cell therapy for autism at his Navi Mumbai clinic, said he had published seven research papers in various journals to show improvement among autistic children after taking stem cell injections. "The procedure is safe and without any side effects. And using PET brain scans, we have been able to record increased metabolism in certain regions of the brain after the injections," he said.

Other doctors at the meeting differed. Dr Vrajesh Udani, paediatric neurologist with Hinduja Hospital, said stem cell therapy was heavy on the wallet and had no safety guarantees. "Autism is a defect that occurs before the birth of a child. There is no damaged brain which needs to be fixed. So what are these stem cells doing?" he asked.

Dr Vibha Krishnamurthy, developmental paediatrician who runs a centre called Umeed, said hundreds of candidate genes are responsible for autism. "If a stem cell injection is given, there is no way to know where in the brain it should work," she said.

Parul Kumtha, president of the Forum For Autism, said that not much is known about how stem cells work. "If a child gets regular therapy along with stem cell injections, how are we to measure which factor contributed more to his improvement?" she asked. Dr Ashok Shah, whose 19-year-old son is autistic, said that stem cell therapy appeared to be "too commercialized". "There are enough other proven therapies that produce the same result for lesser amount," he said.

Dr Hegde rued the fact that stem cell therapy was being offered in India like cold and cough medicines. "Parents live on the hope and will sell their belongings to finance a treatment," she said, seeking better regulations. Dr Udani said it would be prudent for parents to wait until three large-scale trials being done in the US and Mexico prove that they work.

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

More here:
Doctors divided over effectiveness of stem cell treatment ...