Fatores perinatal e pós-natal associados ao Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo: um estudo em crianças e adolescentes assistidos em Montes Claros-MG, Brasil

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) consists of a persistent deficit in communication and social interaction in multiple contexts, which can lead to losses until adulthood. Given the great impact of TEA in the social and family context, this dissertation aimed to investigate perinatal and postnatal factors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder in children and adolescents assisted in the city of Montes Claros, MG. As a result of the research, two products are found in this dissertation. Study 1. It is an integrative review with the purpose of describing the scientific production in the literature on the postnatal factors that may be associated with ASD. The review was developed based on articles with the theme TEA and postnatal factors published between 2000 and 2014 in the databases Scielo, Lilacs, MedLine and PubMed. Of the 619 articles identified, 21 were included that met the criteria. There were 12 factors possibly related to ASD. Study 2. Objective: to evaluate the association between ASD and perinatal and postnatal factors in children and adolescents attended in the municipality of Montes Claros. It is a case-control study whose case group consisted of individuals with ASD and the control group by neurotypics. In the data collection, a semistructured questionnaire was applied to the mothers and, to analyze the factors associated with ASD, the logistic regression was performed and odds ratios (OR) were estimated. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT) was also used for screening for ASD in the control group. Data analysis was performed in the statistical program SPSS, version 23.0. This research was approved by the Ethics Committee in Research of the State University of Montes Claros, for the opinion No. 534.000 / 14. All participants signed the Informed Consent Term. The final sample consisted of 253 individuals diagnosed with ASD and 886 without signs of the disorder. There was a higher proportion of children and adolescents with ASD of the following perinatal and postnatal variables: prematurity, low birth weight, neonatal jaundice, NICU hospitalization, seizure episode, epilepsy and congenital and / or genetic malformation. Conclusion: Of the 12 factors found in the literature as possibly associated with ASD, only eight had a significant association in at least one study: bilirubin, cytomegalovirus, nutritional levels of iodine and DHA, phenylketonuria, infections, heavy metals, triple viral vaccine. In the case-control study, after adjusting for confounding variables, hospitalization for NICU, seizure episode, and congenital and / or genetic malformation were associated with ASD. The identification of post-natal factors associated with ASD may contribute to a reduction in the incidence and prevalence of ASD.