A Controlled Study of the Risk Factors and Clinical Picture of Children with Autism in an Egyptian Sample

[摘要] Background: Autism is one of the difficult child psychiatric disorders and its risk factors need to be better understood and identified. Objective: To investigate the socio-demographic characteristics and some of the risk factors associated with the occurrence of autism in a sample of Egyptian autistic children. Methods: To achieve our objectives 14 autistic patients attending regularly a local day care facility in Minia Governorate were chosen to participate in this study with their 28 non-autistic siblings taken as their own control group. Socio-demographic data sheet, pregnancy and birth complications sheet, Childhood Autism Rating Scale were applied to both groups, while full clinical psychiatric interview was done with autistic children only. Results showed that autistic children tended to be born in winter or summer, their mothers were generally older at time of their delivery than at time of delivering their non-autistic siblings, they had higher rate of exposure to pre-natal and natal complications. Conclusion: Higher age of mothers at pregnancy in addition to poor peri-natal care and conditions carry a risk for developing autism in the coming baby. Proper health education regarding issues of pregnancy and delivery may be beneficial and important for prevention. [Egypt J Neurol Psychiat Neurosurg.  2011; 48(3): 271-276]   .

[学科分类] 精神健康和精神病学