A oxigenoterapia hiperbárica como terapia complementar no tratamento do transtorno do espectro do autismo

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) present neuropsychological disorders, with less tissue perfusion in some brain areas, and the Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy (HBOT) can reverse the symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the effects of HBOT as an adjunct treatment in ASD. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted, based on an analysis of four articles selected in scientific databases. RESULTS: HBOT revealed behavioural, learning and socialization improvements in 75% of the studies analysed, when used as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of ASD in children. The evaluation was performed using scales and parent reports. CONCLUSIONS: The studies analysed show that HBOT is effective in reversing symptoms of ASD in children when used as adjunct therapy. The conclusion led us to the emerging need of conducting further scientific studies in the field of HBOT as treatment of ASD in symptomatic children with broader samples, using experimental studies with resource to control groups in order to develop evidence-based theories on the effectiveness of the treatment for further guidance and deployment in the clinical practice based on scientific evidence.