title: Perinatal and background risk factors for childhood autism in central China.
abstract: Perinatal and background risk factors for autism were identified in a cohort of autistic children in Zhengzhou, China, to formulate preventative and treatment strategies for high-risk families. In this case-control study, children were screened for suspected autism using the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and diagnosed according to DSM-IV and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). We collected perinatal histories and clinical data of 286 confirmed autistic children treated at the Third Affiliated Hospital Children׳s Psychological Clinic of Zhengzhou University from 2011 to 2013. The control group consisted of 286 healthy children from area kindergartens. Maternal age>30 years, parental introversion as measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, low level of parental education, smoking, abortion threat, pregnancy complications, maternal illness during pregnancy, maternal mental health, family history of mental illness, neonatal jaundice, birth asphyxia, premature rupture of the fetal membrane, and gestational age<37 weeks were significantly higher in the autism group. These factors were significantly correlated with behavioral symptoms as measured by ABC scores (Kendall rank correlation). Birth asphyxia, neonatal jaundice, maternal age, parental introversion, family history of mental illness, abortion threat, premature delivery, and smoking were identified as independent risk factors by multivariate logistic regression.
authors.affiliation: Center of Children Psychology and Behavior, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. Electronic address: hydgq@sina.com.
authors.forename: Guiqin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Center of Children Psychology and Behavior, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China.
authors.forename: Meiling
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Yating
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Beijing Academy of Education Sciences, Beijing 100045, China.
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Central China; Childhood autism; Perinatal risk factors