Disease Burden of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention - Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the 0-14 Age Group across 204 Countries and Regions from 1990 To 2021.

This study aims to systematically analyze the disease burden of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children aged 0-14 years, utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database. By examining their temporal trends, regional distributions, and demographic differences, the study seeks to elucidate the epidemiological similarities and differences between the two disorders, thereby providing a scientific foundation for the development of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies. This study, based on GBD 2021 data, analyzed the incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) of ASD and ADHD globally from 1990 to 2021. The research employed age-standardized rates (ASR) to eliminate the influence of population age structure and explored the contributions of epidemiological changes, including population size, aging, as well as disease incidence, prevalence, mortality, and risk factors, to DALY through decomposition analysis. Additionally, the study performed an analysis of health inequalities, conducted a frontier analysis, and predicted future trends utilizing the Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort (BAPC) model. In 2021, the prevalence of ASD among the global population aged 0-14 years was 857.14 cases per 100,000 individuals (95% UI: 723.16-1009.04), while the prevalence of ADHD was 1,661.61 cases per 100,000 individuals (95% UI: 1,128.43-2,414.83). Within this age group, the DALY for ASD were 3,318,058 (95% UI: 2,248,324-4,668,010), compared to 410,705 (95% UI: 209,548-714,682) for ADHD. The DALY burden for ASD was higher than that for ADHD. These two disorders exhibit differences in gender and age distribution, with higher incidence rates and DALY values observed in males. Projections indicate that from 2021 to 2050, the DALY for both ASD and ADHD in the 0-14 age group are expected to show an upward trend.