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Ritual circumcision linked to increased risk of autism in young boys

Discussion in 'Off-topic Discussion' started by IGY, Jan 9, 2015.

  1. IGY

    IGY Guest

    9 January 2015 - Circumcised boys are more likely than intact boys to develop autism spectrum disorder before the age of 10, new research suggests. Painful experiences in neonates have been shown in animal and human studies to be associated with long-term alterations in pain perception, a characteristic often encountered among children with ASD.

    JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE


    Ritual circumcision and risk of autism spectrum disorder in 0- to 9-year-old boys: national cohort study in Denmark


    Abstract

    Objective Based on converging observations in animal, clinical and ecological studies, we hypothesised a possible impact of ritual circumcision on the subsequent risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in young boys.

    Design National, register-based cohort study.

    Setting Denmark.

    Participants A total of 342,877 boys born between 1994 and 2003 and followed in the age span 0–9 years between 1994 and 2013.

    Main outcome measures Information about cohort members’ ritual circumcisions, confounders and ASD outcomes, as well as two supplementary outcomes, hyperkinetic disorder and asthma, was obtained from national registers. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with foreskin status were obtained using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses.

    Results With a total of 4986 ASD cases, our study showed that regardless of cultural background circumcised boys were more likely than intact boys to develop ASD before age 10 years (HR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.11–1.93). Risk was particularly high for infantile autism before age five years (HR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.36–3.13). Circumcised boys in non-Muslim families were also more likely to develop hyperkinetic disorder (HR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.11–2.96). Associations with asthma were consistently inconspicuous (HR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.84–1.10).

    Conclusions We confirmed our hypothesis that boys who undergo ritual circumcision may run a greater risk of developing ASD. This finding, and the unexpected observation of an increased risk of hyperactivity disorder among circumcised boys in non-Muslim families, need attention, particularly because data limitations most likely rendered our HR estimates conservative. Considering the widespread practice of non-therapeutic circumcision in infancy and childhood around the world, confirmatory studies should be given priority.


    http://jrs.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/01/07/0141076814565942.full
    http://jrs.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/01/07/0141076814565942.full.pdf+html
     
  2. CL555

    CL555 Fapstronaut

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    Interesting find! This could be one of the reasons why autism is much more common in males than females.
     
  3. DireWolf

    DireWolf Fapstronaut

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    i realize that circumcision is a costume linked to Israel and the USA but in my personal opinion i would never allow some asshole to cut my child's penis skin, i believe its against nature and its a naive and futile attempt to play god, our bodies are like that for a reason and to mutilate them like that disgusts me
     
  4. IGY

    IGY Guest

    I agree DireWolf. Fortunately, I live in England and routine circumcision does not happen here. Personally, I think the penis looks better as God/nature intended it. It certainly performs better, preventing the glans penis (i.e. dick head) from drying out. There are also an estimated 20,000 of the most sensitive nerve endings preserved by leaving it intact.

    The following 6 pages appear on Psychology Today - Myths about Circumcision:

    1. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...9/myths-about-circumcision-you-likely-believe
    2. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...cision-myths-you-may-believe-hygiene-and-stds
    3. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...mcision-social-sexual-psychological-realities
    4. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/circumcision-ethics-and-economics
    5. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...what-is-the-greatest-danger-uncircumcised-boy
    6. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...why-continue-harm-boys-ignorance-male-anatomy
     
  5. Monster Carrot

    Monster Carrot Fapstronaut

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    This was published in a journal with impact factor of around 2. I guess it's good enough for anti-circumcision hobby purposes though.
     
  6. bandanana

    bandanana Fapstronaut

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    I lived in a country where circumcision was a male norm. Funny thing is we all say it's a religious thing (Predominantly Catholic), when in reality the faith doesn't even recognize circumcision as a necessity. You still get made fun of if you don't get circumcised though.

    Don't do it, especially if it's an unsubstantiated cultural thing.

    EDIT: I got circumcised when I was 12 so I don't think I'm affected by this article...? XD
     
  7. IGY

    IGY Guest

    That is true, it is not necessary or required for a Christian to be circumcised. Thank God!
     
  8. cryptifly

    cryptifly Fapstronaut

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    I'm not going to buy this until I see some further studies showing why this happens. I have a hard time believing that cutting off a person's foreskin could result in a mental condition. What's the causal relationship between the two?
     
  9. IGY

    IGY Guest

    The causal factor would be the pain of cutting off the foreskin. However, I agree that further studies are needed. But bear in mind that ASD is not a mental condition but a developmental disorder.
     
  10. IGY

    IGY Guest

    People with ASD are not born that way per se. "Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are complex, heterogeneous disorders caused by an interaction between genetic vulnerability and environmental factors": http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4129499/
     
  11. cryptifly

    cryptifly Fapstronaut

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    Thank you for pointing this out. I sometimes forget what's what in the world of disorders. :)
     
  12. Whatever

    Whatever Fapstronaut

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    I don't understand why it should bother a person who isn't related to this practice what the consequences of circumscision are. This isn't anyone's dictatorship, and if it would have been really that severe then circumscision would have been abandoned long ago, instead of being practiced for thousands of years.

    This is absurd alarm-ism.
     
  13. IGY

    IGY Guest

    Can you quote any research which supports your opinion?
     
  14. Whatever

    Whatever Fapstronaut

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    It is on wikipedia

    "Early studies of twins estimated the heritability of autism to be more than 90%--meaning that 90% of the differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals was due to genetics."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritability_of_autism


    Sorry for the intrusion :p
     
  15. IGY

    IGY Guest

    Thanks whatever. On the same Wikipedia page it adds, "Though autism's genetic factors explain most of autism risk, they do not explain all of it. A common hypothesis is that autism is caused by the interaction of a genetic predisposition and an early environmental insult." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritability_of_autism#Environmental_interactions

    I would call having part of your dick sliced off in the first week of life, an "environmental insult"! :eek:
     
  16. Whatever

    Whatever Fapstronaut

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    Yes....so that means that all people who have been circumscised suffer from autism...or most of them.

    This would explain their obsessive-compulsive behavioural patterns..

    Oh well... :)
     
  17. IGY

    IGY Guest

    In the opening post it states: "We confirmed our hypothesis that boys who undergo ritual circumcision may run a greater risk of developing ASD."
     
  18. Whatever

    Whatever Fapstronaut

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    Ah, I see. Haven't carefully read the opening post, sorry :p

    So, if I understand correctly, what the evidence shows is that children who have inherited genes from autistic parents are exposed to a greater possibility of those genes being activated if they are circumscised.

    I wonder if people who practice such things are aware of this...
     
  19. IGY

    IGY Guest

    That is correct. I doubt there is any awareness of it, as I posted it here the day it was published!
     
  20. Whatever

    Whatever Fapstronaut

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    But now people can take notice of these studies. :)
     

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