A Comprehensive Meta-analysis of the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders

摘要

Background: There are conflicting reports on the prevalence of ASDs in mainland China (China thereafter) and abroad, and no scholars have compared the prevalence in China and abroad. Further studies are needed to clarify the changes in the prevalence rate and compare the prevalence rates at home and abroad. Objective: In order to compare the prevalence of autism at home and abroad, and compare diagnostic tools, diagnostic criteria and other aspects. So far, no scholar has compared the prevalence of autism in China and abroad. Chinese scholars have hardly studied the comprehensive prevalence in China, and the prevalence of autism is conflicting. Methods: I used the Meta-analysis to carry out the research. Firstly, literature was retrieved according to key words and extracted according to screening criteria. Secondly, forest plots and funnel plots were drawn to analyze their significance and heterogeneity. Results: Based on diagnostic criteria the pooled prevalence of ASDs, 73.6 per 10,000 in China (95% CI: 14.22-77.96 per 10,000 I~2 = 80.95%), and 98.8 per 10,000 abroad (95% CI: 22.35-127.04 per 10000 per 98.14%, I~2 = 98.14%). Subgroup analyses revealed significant difference in the prevalence of ASDs between genders. Moreover, the prevalence of males far exceeds that of females both in China and abroad. Conclusion: There are significant differences in the prevalence of autism at home and abroad, and there are also large differences in diagnostic criteria and diagnostic tools. There are significant differences between developing regions and underdeveloped regions, and there are also differences in the prevalence of autism between different genders, but the differences are not significant. In addition, the number of people suffering from autism may gradually increase in the future, and the number of people who understand autism will become wider and wider, the aging phenomenon of autism will gradually increase, and the causes of autism will become more and more complicated.