Abstract
Background
Children born with non-syndromic orofacial clefts are an at-risk population for neuropsychiatric disorders. In a previous study, we have observed a significantly higher proportion of previous psychiatric care, special education needs, and cognitive difficulties in children with cleft compared to their non-cleft controls. Our goal was to strengthen these observations by screening these children with a clinically well-established neuropsychiatric tool.
Methods
A follow-up study of our previous cohort was carried out in the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Pécs. The cohort included children with non.syndromic orofacial clefts and healthy controls. The M.I.N.I Kid semi-structured interview was used to screen for neuropsychiatric disorders. A parental questionnaire was used to collect demographicand clinical data. Chi2-test or Fischer's Exact test were used to analyze categorical data. Two-sided independent samples Student’s t-test were used for quantitative variables.
Results
The data of 32 non-syndromic cleft and 41 control participants were analyzed. Children with non-syndromic orofacial clefts represented a higher proportion of psychiatric diagnoses compared to their controls, significantly major depressive episode (12,5%), panic disorder (15,6%), and conduct disorder (9,4%). Subgroup analysis revealed higher proportions of diagnoses in children with complex (combined and/or bilateral) and left-sided clefts.
Conclusions
A higher proportion of neuropsychiatric diagnoses were observed in children with non-syndromic orofacial clefts compared to controls. Screening this population at an early age is an important part of their overall clinical care.