Examining the Prevalence, Characteristics, and Potential Links Between Skin Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Abstract

Background: Increasing evidence indicates that skin disorders may contribute to an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They can affect the quality of life, and they have an impact on social isolation, behavioral problems, cognitive scores, and some subscales of ASD. Methods: This study was an online questionnaire-based, observational, and cross-sectional study conducted during the period from August 2022 through January 2023 to examine dermatological manifestations among ASD individuals compared to controls. Descriptive and non-parametric tests were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 363 individuals with skin diseases were interviewed during the study period. In total, 189 (52.1%) of participants were autistic and 174 (47.9%) were controls. Asthma, anxiety, depression, and autoimmune disease were persistent in the ASD group compared to the controls (p < 0.001). The results also show that skin, food, and respiratory allergies were statistically significantly associated with ASD (50%, 22.2%, 14.8%, respectively) compared to the controls (26.4%, 10.3%, 7.5%, respectively) (p < 0.05). The most prevalent disease in the controls was eczema (15.5%), followed by dry skin (14.9%) and acne (10.3%). These diseases showed a statistically significant association with ASD compared to the controls (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that atopic disorders and comorbidities, including eczema, asthma, and allergies, are significantly associated with ASD. A large population-based study is warranted to clarify the prevalence of skin disorders among individuals with ASD, coupled with the study of the association between skin disorders and comorbidities to determine the relationship precisely.

Keywords: allergies; atopic dermatitis; autism spectrum disorder; dry skin; eczema; skin disorder.

Figure 1

Distribution of skin disorders in ASD and control groups.