Liu Wen, Gong Xinhao, Ou Jinping, Chen Shoulin
Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Jiangxi, China.
Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Aug 16;25(1):2810. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23904-9.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) represent a range of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by abnormal behavioral patterns. ASD is frequently comorbid with other neurodevelopmental disorders. However, there remains a gap in research on the burden of ASD in East and Southeast Asia.
We stratified the analysis by region, country, age, and sex; used the Sociodemographic Index (SDI) as a pivot to examine the relationship between the burden of autism and SDI through frontier analysis and health inequality analysis; and finally projected global, sex-specific trends in ASD disease burden from 2022 to 2050.
The global burden of ASD, including in East and Southeast Asia, has exhibited a generally increasing trend over recent decades. Japan demonstrated a relatively high ASD burden. The analysis revealed that females tend to experience a higher burden than males, and ASD is more prevalent among younger age groups. A positive correlation was observed between SDI and ASD burden, with higher SDI levels associated with greater burden. Health inequality analyses indicated that while ASD prevalence and Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) are predominantly concentrated in high-SDI countries, incidence rates are higher in low-SDI regions. Finally, the global burden of ASD among both males and females is projected to continue rising through the year 2050.
The burden of ASD in East and Southeast Asia continues to increase year by year. High-SDI countries tend to report a greater disease burden. From 1990 to 2021, nearly all countries in the region experienced a continuous rise in ASD burden. Although there is a growing trend of ASD incidence shifting toward low-SDI countries, prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) remain predominantly concentrated in high-SDI countries. Finally, the global burden of ASD among both males and females is projected to continue rising through 2050.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一系列以行为模式异常为特征的神经发育疾病。ASD常与其他神经发育障碍合并出现。然而，东亚和东南亚地区关于ASD负担的研究仍存在空白。
我们按地区、国家、年龄和性别对分析进行分层；以社会人口指数（SDI）为核心，通过前沿分析和健康不平等分析来研究自闭症负担与SDI之间的关系；最后预测了2022年至2050年全球特定性别的ASD疾病负担趋势。
近几十年来，包括东亚和东南亚地区在内，全球ASD负担总体呈上升趋势。日本的ASD负担相对较高。分析显示，女性往往比男性承受更高的负担，且ASD在较年轻年龄组中更为普遍。观察到SDI与ASD负担之间存在正相关，SDI水平越高，负担越大。健康不平等分析表明，虽然ASD患病率和残疾生存年数（YLDs）主要集中在高SDI国家，但低SDI地区的发病率更高。最后，预计到2050年，全球男性和女性的ASD负担将持续上升。
东亚和东南亚地区的ASD负担逐年持续增加。高SDI国家往往报告更高的疾病负担。从1990年到2021年，该地区几乎所有国家的ASD负担都持续上升。尽管ASD发病率有向低SDI国家转移的趋势，但患病率和残疾生存年数（YLDs）仍主要集中在高SDI国家。最后，预计到2050年，全球男性和女性的ASD负担将持续上升。
