Zhao Yanan, Lu Feng, Ding Ruoxi, Zhu Dawei, Zhang Rong, Sun Siwei, He Ping, Zheng Xiaoying
Peking University, China.
City University of Macau, China.
Autism. 2025 Apr;29(4):884-895. doi: 10.1177/13623613241290388. Epub 2024 Oct 29.
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the world has increased over the last decade, but the prevalence, incidence, and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder in China were not well understood. Using administrative data, we aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of autism spectrum disorder and describe the co-occurring conditions in preschoolers in Beijing, China. The study focused on 0- to 6-year-old children with registered residence in Beijing, using cohorts derived from the Beijing Municipal Health Big Data and Policy Research Center. We conducted a detailed analysis of autism spectrum disorder prevalence among the cohorts, comparing estimates across 2 to 3 years for the same birth cohort (4 years, 5 years). For the 6-year-old cohort, we obtained 1-year prevalence estimates in 2021. Annual incidence rate was also calculated. The prevalence in 6-year-old children in 2021 was 10.5 per 1000 (95% confidence interval = 9.7-10.9). The male-to-female prevalence ratio was 4.3. Between 40% and 43% of preschool children had at least one co-occurring condition. The incidence for children 6 years old and under was 0.11% in 2019 and increased to 0.18% in 2021. Both the prevalence and incidence rates in Beijing were comparable to those reported in developed countries.Lay abstractIt is the first study to explore the prevalence, incidence, and co-occurring conditions of autism spectrum disorder for the preschoolers in China. The prevalence and incidence of autism spectrum disorder has increased in recent decades. Autism spectrum disorder has become an important public concern worldwide. In this study, all hospital confirmed cases had an associated diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes: F84.0, 84.5, F84.9). In total, 4457 children aged 4-6 years were identified as having autism spectrum disorder. In 2021, 1 in 95 children aged 6 years, 1 in 115 children aged 5 years, and 1 in 130 children aged 4 years were estimated to have autism spectrum disorder in Beijing. The incidence was 0.11% in 2019 and increased to 0.18% in 2021. There has been a great emphasis on the importance of early autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in large cities in China.
在过去十年中，全球自闭症谱系障碍的患病率有所上升，但中国自闭症谱系障碍的患病率、发病率及特征尚不明确。我们利用行政数据，旨在估算中国北京学龄前儿童自闭症谱系障碍的患病率和发病率，并描述其共病情况。该研究聚焦于户籍在北京的0至6岁儿童，使用来自北京市卫生大数据与政策研究中心的队列数据。我们对各队列中自闭症谱系障碍的患病率进行了详细分析，比较了同一出生队列在2至3年（4岁、5岁）期间的估算值。对于6岁队列，我们获得了2021年的1年患病率估算值。同时计算了年发病率。2021年6岁儿童的患病率为每1000人中有10.5例（95%置信区间 = 9.7 - 10.9）。男女患病率之比为4.3。40%至43%的学龄前儿童至少有一种共病情况。2019年6岁及以下儿童的发病率为0.11%，到2021年增至0.18%。北京的患病率和发病率与发达国家报告的情况相当。
这是第一项探索中国学龄前儿童自闭症谱系障碍患病率、发病率及共病情况的研究。近几十年来，自闭症谱系障碍的患病率和发病率有所上升。自闭症谱系障碍已成为全球重要的公共关注点。在本研究中，所有经医院确诊的病例均有相关诊断（国际疾病分类第10版（ICD - 10）编码：F84.0、F84.5、F84.9）。总共4457名4至6岁儿童被确诊患有自闭症谱系障碍。2021年，在北京，估计每95名6岁儿童中有1例、每115名5岁儿童中有1例、每130名4岁儿童中有1例患有自闭症谱系障碍。发病率在2019年为0.11%，到2021年增至0.18%。中国大城市非常重视自闭症谱系障碍的早期诊断。
