Assessment of tuberous sclerosis-associated neuropsychiatric disorders using the MINI-KID tool: a pediatric case–control study

BACKGROUND: The tuberous sclerosis-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND) have not previously been studied in China. We aimed to assess the psychiatric level of individuals with TAND using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children (MINI-KID) in China. RESULTS: A total of 83.16% of individuals (79/95) had at least one TAND, and 70.53% (67/95) had an intellectual disability. The MINI-KID tool diagnosed 16 neuropsychiatric diseases, the most common of which were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (51.58%, 49/95) and social anxiety disorder (30.53%, 29/95). The number of children with psychiatric diseases in the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) group was significantly greater than the number in the typically developing group (P < 0.0001). Notably, 69.47% (66/95) had two or more psychiatric disorders. Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) was often co-morbid with other psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSIONS: This study used the structured and systematic MINI-KID scale to determine the diagnosis of psychiatric co-morbidities in a relatively large sample, suggesting a higher rate. By comparing the status of individuals with TSC with typically developing children, the results suggests that neuropsychiatric co-morbidities are significantly higher in individuals with TSC. Research has revealed the frequent presence of two, three or more neuropsychiatric diseases in individuals with TSC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13023-021-01814-4.