A pilot study on Covid and Autism : Transmission , Clinical presentation and Vaccine side effects

Background: several neurobiological mechanisms has been proposed to support the hypothesis of higher Covid-19 risk in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, no real data are available on this population. Methods: we evaluated period prevalence (March-May 2020) of Covid-19 infection and symptom presentation in a sample of individuals with severe ASD and comorbid intellectual disability (n=36) using anti-SARS-Cov-2 antibody positivity as a proxy of infection. Additionally, we evaluated vaccine side effect in the same group. Results: Considering the entire sample, there was no significant difference between prevalence of Covid 19 positivity between autistic participants and staff personnel (Chi-square=0.71, p=0.39). Levels of antibodies against the spike protein and the RBD were not significantly different between autistic and staff participants. Level of antibodies against the NTD domain were higher in autistic individuals. There was a significant difference between prevalence of symptomatic Covid-19 in autistic participants compared to staff personnel (9.1% vs 92.3%, Chi-square=19.3, p<0.001). The most frequent side effect among autistic participants was light fever. Conclusion: The present study provides preliminary data on Covid 19 transmission and presentation in ASD. Our data did not support the hypothesis of a higher susceptibility and severity of Covid-19 in ASD.