[Epidemiological Aspects of Autism in Mental Health Care Structures in the District of Bamako, Mali]

Aims: Autism is a global and early developmental disorder that appears before the age 3 years old. It is characterized by a triad of symptoms affecting the following domains: social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, imagination and behaviors. This work aimed to determine the frequency of autism and to identify its risk factors in Malians aged 0-17 years old.

Method: In a cross sectional and prospective study, we reviewed clinical data in 2068 medical charts dating from 1992 to 2012 from all the mental health care centers in Bamako.

Results: We found a frequency of 7.8% (162/2068). The age range 0-5 years old was the most represented. The sex ratio was 1.7. The autistic child was issued from a consanguineous marriage in 25.4% (41/162) of the cases. To have parents in divorce, being the first child, and male gender were associated with autism with statistical significance. Our data suggest an elevated number of autism cases in Mali. We plan to carry out a larger prospective study to determine other autism risk factors and importantly to identify autistic families for a molecular genetic study.