Autism and Rain

Mean annual precipitation rates were positively and significantly associated with autism prevalence rates.

The estimated prevalence of autism in the U.S. is 1 in 150 children, yet the cause is uncertain. Wide variation in prevalence rates among U.S. states suggests the possibility of an environmental trigger. In an intriguing study, investigators examined the association between reported autism prevalence rates for school-age children (age range, 6–18 years) and mean annual precipitation rates in selected counties in California, Oregon, and Washington with different precipitation patterns.

After investigators controlled for potential confounding variables, county-level mean annual precipitation rates from 1987 through 2001 were positively and significantly associated with autism prevalence rates in all three states in 2005. The authors propose th…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)