PJ Online | News: Autism cases no longer increasing

Home > PJ (current issue) > News / Daily News | Search

The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7259 p108
26 July 2003

Related websites
Archives of Disease in Childhood abstract (more)
JAMA abstract (more)

Autism cases no longer increasing

The number of children being diagnosed with autism each year has levelled out, say researchers from the Royal Free and University College medical school, London.

They identified 567 children with autistic spectrum disorder in five districts in north east London who were born between 1979 and 1998. The prevalence of autism, which appeared to rise from 1979 to 1992, reached a plateau from 1992 to 1996 with a rate of 2.6 per 1,000 live births. The researchers also observed a decrease in the age at which children were diagnosed with autism from 1985.

They conclude that the earlier recorded rise was likely to be due to factors such as increased recognition, a greater willingness to accept autism as a diagnostic label and better recording systems (Archives of Disease in Childhood 2003;88:666).

The study was funded by the Department of Health.

Head circumference The onset of autism appears to be preceded by brain growth abnormality, say researchers.

They examined the medical records of 48 children with autistic spectrum disorder and found that head circumference at birth was smaller than that for healthy children and was followed by a sudden and accelerated increase between birth and six to 14 months. The accelerated growth appears before any clinical signs of autism and could be used as an early warning signal of risk, suggest the researchers (JAMA 2003; 290:337).