Clinical characteristics of autism spectrum disorder in Israel: impact of ethnic and social diversities.
Biomed Res Int
; 2015: 962093, 2015.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25984535
Despite the increased global prevalence and recognition of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), it is still scarcely reported in the Arab world. Though Israel has a higher prevalence of ASD, a previous national survey of patients diagnosed between 1972 and 2004, demonstrated that 98% of them were of Jewish ancestry. The disproportional low number of Arab children with ASD in Israel is unclear but may reflect lower awareness and cultural bias. In the present study we collected clinical and demographic characteristics of 200 children with ASD from Arab and Jewish sectors in Israel that were evaluated in two child development centers. We compared the incidence and the medical comorbidity of autism between these two ethnics groups. The medical and psychiatric comorbidity profile in these children was similar to the worldwide published studies. In the present study the prevalence of autism in the Arab sector in Israel was similar to that of the Jewish sector. The Arab patients presented with more severe autistic manifestations and higher incidence of mental retardation, familial members with autism, and consanguinity (P < 0.05), while in the Jewish sector milder forms (such as Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS) were more frequent. This discrepancy might be explained by both genetic and cultural factors.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Factores Socioeconómicos
/
Etnicidad
/
Trastorno del Espectro Autista
Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Límite:
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biomed Res Int
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Israel
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos