Investigation of risk factors and dismorphology in patients with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the current study was to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics, prenatal and postnatal history, and dysmorphic findings of children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the pregnancy history of the mothers of these cases. MATERIALS and METHODS: The prospective descriptive study included 74 children and adolescents aged 5-17 years, diagnosed with ASD. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC)-R was used to determine intelligence level of these children. Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used to evaluate the severity of autistic symptoms. The cases were evaluated in respect of the pregnancy history of the mothers, the prenatal and postnatal histories of the cases, family anamnesis with any imaging reports of that time if available, and epicrisis records. In the physical examination of the cases, head circumference was measured, and dysmorphic findings were determined according to the Surface Evaluation for Minor Congenital Anomalies scale. RESULTS: Prenatal, postnatal risk factors, dysmorphology and pregnancy history of mothers were found to be effective in the etiology of ASD in children with ASD. CONCLUSIONS: Although the etiology of ASD is complex and has not been fully elucidated, the data obtained in this study from the evaluation of the risk factors of this spectrum have contributed to the clarification of the etiopathogenesis, and identified the preventable risk factors of ASD.