Caracterización de niños y adolescentes con trastorno del espectro autista en una clínica de Medellín (Colombia): estudio descriptivo

Objetive: To describe the demographic, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder who sought consultation at a clinic in Medellin during the period from 2011 to 2021. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study, in which underage patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were evaluated according to DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. Psychiatric, neuropediatric, and human genetics medical records were reviewed to collect epidemio-logical and clinical variables. Results: This study included 140 patients, the majority of whom were male (81.4%), with a mean age of 7.8 years. The most frequent signs were alterations in social interaction (n = 86, 61.4%), repe-titive behaviors (n=83, 59.3%), and communication difficulties (n = 78, 55.7%). The most common degrees of severity were mild (n = 60, 42.9%) and moderate (n = 52, 37.1%). Intellectual disability was the most common family history (n = 21, 15%), as well as the most frequent comorbidity (n = 34, 24.3%). Conversely, the most frequent treatments were the use of antipsychotics (n = 58, 41.4%) and occupational therapy (n = 60, 42.9%). Conclusions: The clinical and epidemiological characteristics observed in these minors are similar to those reported worldwide. Most patients suffered from mild to moderate disorders and were treated with both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies.