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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Jul;95(30):e4354.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000004354.

The prevalence of tic disorders for children in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Chunsong Yang  1 , Lingli Zhang, Ping Zhu, Cairong Zhu, Qin Guo
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The prevalence of tic disorders for children in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Chunsong Yang et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Tic disorders (TD) are common neuropsychiatric disorders among children and adolescents. Still, there is great uncertainty regarding their epidemiology in China. We aim to depict the prevalence of TD for children in China and explore the influence of sex, age, geographic distribution, and diagnostic criteria on the prevalence rates.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, four Chinese electronic databases, and relevant lists. Two reviewers independently selected trials, assessed trial quality, and extracted the data.

Results: We included 13 studies investigating 269,571 participants. The sample size ranged from 563 to 216,005 participants. The age of participants ranged from 3 to 16 years. The meta-analysis of the prevalence of TD was 6.1% [95% CI: 0.036-0.100, I = 49.7%]. The prevalence of transient tic disorder (TTD), chronic tic disorder (CTD), and Tourette syndrome (TS) was 1.7% [95% CI = 0.009-0.031, I = 49%], 1.2% [95% CI = 0.007-0.022, I = 48.3%], and 0.3% [95% CI = 0.001-0.008, I = 49.5%], respectively. The prevalence of TD in boys [5.1%, 95% CI = 0.026-0.098, I = 49.3%] was higher than that in girls [2.4%, 95% CI = 0.009-0.065, I = 49.4%]. The prevalence of TD in urban area [2.6%, 95% CI = 0.019-0.034, I = 35.5%] was higher than that in rural area [2.2%, 95% CI = 0.016-0.030, I = 33.9%]. The prevalence of TD in central China [10.7%, 95% CI = 0.043-0.242, I = 49.2%] was higher than that in North China [7.8%, 95% CI = 0.007-0.522, I = 49.9%] and East China [4.4%, 95% CI = 0.015-0.120, I = 49.8%].

Conclusion: TD is a common disease in China, with prevalence differing based on sex, age, and region.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of literature screening and selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis of the prevalence of TD in children. TD = tic disorder.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analysis of the prevalence of TTD in children. TTD = transient tic disorders.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Meta-analysis of the prevalence of CTD in children. CTD = chronic tic disorders.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis of the prevalence of TS in children. TS = Tourette syndrome.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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