Article

It has been reported that rates of epilepsy and mortality are higher among
the population with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than in the general
population. The aim of this systematic review is to provide comprehensive
evidence for clinicians, carers, and people with ASD regarding these outcomes.
METHOD: Studies were eligible for inclusion if the main focus of the study
involved observation over a period of 12 months or more of an initially defined
population (with appropriate diagnostic label). Studies were also required to
have at least 30 participants in order to differentiate case series from cohort
studies. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Database of Reviews of
Effectiveness, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched. The date of
the last search was September 2010. The risk of bias of included studies was
assessed and a meta-analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were
identified, 16 measuring the percentage of participants with epilepsy and five
measuring mortality using a standardized mortality ratio. The pooled estimate for
the percentage of participants with epilepsy was 1.8% (95% CI 0.4-9.4%) in
studies in which the majority did not have an intellectual disability and the
mean age was <12 years at follow-up, and 23.7% (95% CI 17.5-30.5%) in studies in
which the majority did have an intellectual disability and the mean age at
follow-up was more than 12 years. The pooled estimate for the standardized
mortality ratio was 2.8 (95% CI 1.8-4.2). INTERPRETATION:
The prevalence of
epilepsy is higher among the population with ASD than in the general population.
People with ASD have a higher risk of mortality than the general population. This
has important health promotion implications.
CI - (c) The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2012 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS