Anxiety disorders and asthma among adolescents in Uganda: role of early-life exposures

Global Prevalence of Social Anxiety Disorder in Children, Adolescents and Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Social anxiety disorder is a prevalent mental health condition that significantly impairs social interactions, academic performance, and professional functioning in children, adolescents, and youth. This study aimed to investigate the global prevalence of social anxiety disorder across these developmental stages. Six electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar) were systematically searched for studies related to the prevalence of social anxiety disorder in children, adolescents and youth. Random-effects models were employed for data analysis and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2.0. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 index. A total of 38 studies were included in the final analysis. The global prevalence of social anxiety disorder was estimated to be 4.7% in children, 8.3% in adolescents, and 17% in youth. These findings suggest a progressive increase in the prevalence of SAD across these developmental stages. Considering the prevalence of social anxiety disorder in this study, policymakers can use the findings of this study to inform and develop effective prevention strategies for individuals and communities most susceptible to this disorder.

Paediatric asthma and non-allergic comorbidities: A review of current risk and proposed mechanisms

It is increasingly recognized that children with asthma are at a higher risk of other non-allergic concurrent diseases than the non-asthma population. A plethora of recent research has reported on these comorbidities and progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms for comorbidity. The goal of this review was to assess the most recent evidence (2016-2021) on the extent of common comorbidities (obesity, depression and anxiety, neurodevelopmental disorders, sleep disorders and autoimmune diseases) and the latest mechanistic research, highlighting knowledge gaps requiring further investigation. We found that the majority of recent studies from around the world demonstrate that children with asthma are at an increased risk of having at least one of the studied comorbidities. A range of potential mechanisms were identified including common early life risk factors, common genetic factors, causal relationships, asthma medication and embryologic origins. Studies varied in their selection of population, asthma definition and outcome definitions. Next, steps in future studies should include using objective measures of asthma, such as lung function and immunological data, as well as investigating asthma phenotypes and endotypes. Larger complex genetic analyses are needed, including genome-wide association studies, gene expression-functional as well as pathway analyses or Mendelian randomization techniques; and identification of gene-environment interactions, such as epi-genetic studies or twin analyses, including omics and early life exposure data. Importantly, research should have relevance to clinical and public health translation including clinical practice, asthma management guidelines and intervention studies aimed at reducing comorbidities.