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Meta-Analysis
. 2018 May 12;14(7):717-725.
doi: 10.7150/ijbs.24063. eCollection 2018.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in China: a comprehensive meta-analysis

Fei Wang  1   2 , Li Lu  1 , Shi-Bin Wang  2 , Ling Zhang  3 , Chee H Ng  4 , Gabor S Ungvari  5 , Xiao-Lan Cao  6 , Jian-Ping Lu  6 , Cai-Lan Hou  2 , Fu-Jun Jia  2 , Yu-Tao Xiang  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in China: a comprehensive meta-analysis

Fei Wang et al. Int J Biol Sci. .

Abstract

There are conflicting prevalence estimates of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainland China (China thereafter). This study is a comprehensive meta-analysis of the pooled prevalence of ASDs in the general population in China. Study investigators independently conducted a systematic literature search of the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese biomedical literature service system, and Wan Fang. Studies reporting prevalence of ASDs and autism in Chinese population were identified and analysed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program with the random effects model. Forty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis comprising 2,337,321 subjects of whom 46.66 % were females. The mean age of subjects ranged from 1.6 to 8 years. Based on diagnostic criteria the pooled prevalence of ASDs was 39.23 per 10,000 (95% CI: 28.44-50.03 per 10,000, I2=89.2%); specifically, the prevalence of autism was 10.18 per 10,000 (95% CI: 8.46-11.89 per 10,000, I2=92.5%). Subgroup analyses revealed significant difference in the prevalence of ASDs between genders (72.77 per 10,000 in males vs. 16.45 per 10,000 in females). In conclusion, the prevalence of ASDs and autism in China was found generally lower than those reported in other countries. Further studies are needed to clarify the variation in prevalence.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; China; meta-analysis; prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study
Figure 2
Figure 2
A) Forest plot of prevalence of autism spectrum disorders based on clinical diagnostic criteria. B) Forest plot of prevalence of autism based on clinical diagnostic criteria
Figure 3
Figure 3
A) Forest plot of prevalence of autism spectrum disorders based on screening tools B) Forest plot of prevalence of autism based on screening tools
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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