Epidemiological Characteristics in Pediatric Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a General Hospital in Lima, Peru, from January 2022 to June 2025
Características Epidemiológicas en Pacientes Pediátricos con Trastorno del Espectro del Autismo (TEA) en un Hospital General de Lima-Perú, en el período de Enero 2022 a Junio 2025
Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorder, prevalence, epidemiology, comorbidity, child, pediatric neurologyAbstract
Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose prevalence has increased worldwide. Most epidemiological studies are from the USA and Europe, but none are from Peru. Objective: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of pediatrics patients with ASD treated at the Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo (HNDM) from January 2022 to June 2025. Materials and methods: This was an observational, descriptive, retrospective study. Data were collected from the medical records and SisGalen Plus of all patients with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD, according to DSM-5- TR criteria (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, revised text, 2022), in the neuropediatric outpatient clinic during the established period. Results: A total of 419 patients with ASD were registered, with an overall prevalence of 13% and annual results ranging from 11.7% to 14%. The largest percentage of patients (50.8%) had ASD at level 1; 28.4% were at level 2 and 20.7% at level 3. In the gender distribution, males predominated with a ratio of 3.1:1. About age distribution, 67% (n=279) were diagnosed between 2 and 5 years, 32% (n=136) in those over 5 years, and 1% (n=4) in those under 2 years. According to distribution by district, the most frequent districts were San Juan de Lurigancho (30%) and La Victoria (25.5%). Most patients had SIS (76%). The most frequently associated comorbidities were language disorder (80%), conduct disorder (45.20%), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Conclusion: ASD is a highly prevalent diagnosis in pediatric neurology clinics, with a predominance of males. The most frequent association is language disorder and conduct disorder.
