Awareness and risk factors of autism spectrum disorder in an Egyptian population

Background The aim of the present study was to determine the type and percentage of referral situations, risk factors, associated syndromes, and parental awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children who visited the Medical Research Centre of Excellence, National Research Centre in Cairo, specialized in ASD diagnosis and management. Methods The study included 530 children who were diagnosed with ASD. For those, full medical history, clinical examination, severity evaluation, and testing the language and cognitive development were performed. The process of diagnosis and assessment of parents’ awareness and knowledge about ASD was investigated using questionnaires. Results The clinic was mainly visited by self-referral. About half of the participants (51.4 %) had previously visited other doctors (1–5 physicians) who were mostly pediatricians. The parents’ awareness was mostly limited to the term “autism”, but not the nature of ASD. Caesarean section was the most common risk factor (57.4 %), followed by jaundice (30.1 %). The most common presenting symptoms were language (81.5 %) and social (60.4 %) deficits. ASD severity was found to be high in association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and electroencephalogram (EEG) changes (p = 0.001). Conclusion The risk factors and associated syndromes in the Egyptian population studied were similar to those reported in previous studies performed in other populations, but their percentage was different. Perinatal problems were the most common risk factors, which may relate to the influence of gene-environmental interaction on the factors which could play a role in developing ASD or increasing its severity. The process of ASD diagnosis was commonly delayed among the participants. Increasing awareness and knowledge among health care professionals and parents is urgently needed to facilitate early diagnosis and intervention services, which will lead to improvement of the developmental outcomes for ASD children. The associated syndromes could be the driving force to seek medical advice and could influence the ASD severity.