The global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder: A three-level meta-analysis

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one the most disabling developmental disorders, imposing an extremely high economic burden. Obtaining as accurate prevalence estimates as possible is crucial to guide governments in planning policies for identification and intervention for individuals with ASD and their relatives. The precision of prevalence estimates can be heightened by summative analyses of the data collected around the world. To that end, we conducted a three-level mixed-effects meta-analysis. A systematic search of the Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases from 2000 up to 13 July 2020 was performed, and reference lists of previous reviews and existing databases of prevalence studies were screened. Overall, 79 studies were included in the analysis of ASD and 59–in the analysis of previously existing relevant diagnoses: 30 for Autistic Disorder (AD), 15 for Asperger Syndrome (AS), and 14 for Atypical Autism (AA) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS); these research reports covered the period from 1994 to 2019. Pooled prevalence estimates were 0.72% (95% CI = 0.61–0.85) for ASD, 0.25% (95% CI = 0.18–0.33) for AD, 0.13% (95% CI = 0.07–0.20) for AS, and 0.18% (95% CI = 0.10–0.28) for the combined group of AA and PDD-NOS. Estimates were higher (1) for the studies that used records-review surveillance rather than other designs; (2) in North America compared with other geographical regions; and (3) in high-income compared with lower-income countries. The highest prevalence estimates were registered in the USA. There was an increase in autism prevalence estimates over time. The prevalence was also significantly higher for children aged between 6 and 12 years compared to children under the age of 5 and over the age of 13 years.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019131525, identifier CRD42019131525.

The role and impact of abnormal vitamin levels in autism spectrum disorders

“…4 Over the past ten years, there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of ASD, which has led to serious financial strain on families and society. 5 To date, the pathophysiology of ASDs has not been fully resolved; however, an expanding corpus of data indicates that numerous events early in life may be connected to the beginning and advancement of ASD. Epidemiologic investigations have shown that preterm birth and older maternal age are risk factors for ASD, 6,7 and prenatal exposure to air pollution and short gestational intervals are also potential risk factors.…”

Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Insights from Unique Disability ID Issuance Trends

“…For example, while the WHO (2023) estimates that 1 in 100 children has ASD, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021) estimates that 1 in 44 children is diagnosed with some form of ASD. Many factors are thought to account for these differences in prevalence, such as the population sampled, the study design, and the diagnostic criteria used (Elsabbagh et al, 2012;Talantseva et al, 2023).…”

“…Moreover, several studies suggest that the prevalence of autism is increasing (CDC, 2021;Elsabbagh et al, 2012;Fajardo et al, 2021;Talantseva et al, 2023). The explanations for this phenomenon are diverse, ranging from expansions in diagnostic criteria (such as increased diagnoses of ASD and decreased diagnoses of Intellectual disability), environmental factors (such as increased survival rates of premature babies, who have a higher incidence of ASD, as found byWang et al, 2017), advanced parental age (as reported byKim et al, 2019), and increased awareness of the disorder and access to healthcare services F84.5), other PDD (F84.8), and PDD not otherwise speci ed (PDD-NOS, F84.9).…”

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“…Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by 2 core areas of symptoms: social communication impairment and restricted and repetitive behaviors or interests . In 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the prevalence of ASD was 1 in 36; this number continues to grow, possibly due to increased awareness among the public, medical, and research communities . The 2019 Global Burden of Disease study reported an age-standardized global ASD prevalence of 369.39 per 100 000 .…”