title: Association between Asthma and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the evidence from epidemiological studies of the association between asthma and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library for studies published before February 2nd, 2016. Observational studies investigating the association between asthma and ASD were included. A random effects model was used to calculate the pooled risk estimates for the outcome. Subgroup analysis was used to explore potential sources of heterogeneity and publication bias was estimated using Begg's and Egger's tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten studies encompassing 175,406 participants and 8,809 cases of ASD were included in this meta-analysis. In the cross-sectional studies, the prevalence of asthma in ASD was 20.4%, while the prevalence of asthma in controls was 15.4% (P < 0.001). The pooled odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence of asthma in ASD in the cross-sectional studies was 1.26 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.98-1.61) (P = 0.07), with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 65.0%, P = 0.02) across studies. In the case-control studies, the pooled OR for the prevalence of asthma in ASD was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.68-1.43) (P = 0.94), and there was no evidence of an association between asthma and ASD. No evidence of significant publication bias on the association between asthma and ASD was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the results of this meta-analysis do not suggest an association between asthma and ASD. Further prospective studies ascertaining the association between asthma and ASD are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.|Key Laboratory of Obstetric & Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.|Key Laboratory of Obstetric & Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.|Key Laboratory of Obstetric & Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.|Key Laboratory of Obstetric & Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Jichong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.|Key Laboratory of Obstetric & Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.|Key Laboratory of Obstetric & Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.|Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States of America.
authors.forename: Dezhi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult