The concept of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) closely resemble each other. Both ICD-10 and DSM-IV use the term PDD. The authors surveyed the perception of PDD/ASD and attitudes toward terminology. The subjects of this study were 205 medical/social-welfare professionals working in fields relating to developmental disorders. Questionnaires were mailed to site investigators at the collaborating institutes. With regard to what the scope of ASD and PDD encompasses, the answers were almost equally divided among three views: ASD and PDD are the same, PDD is wider in scope and ASD is wider. The terms PDD and autism were used in slightly different ways depended upon the situation. Our results demonstrate that the parameters of PDD and ASD are unclear and that the terms related to PDD/ASD are often used differently. Further studies are required to develop more clear and reliable diagnostic criteria for PDD.
Academies and Institutes ; Asperger Syndrome ; Autistic Disorder ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; International Classification of Diseases ; Postal Service ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Research Personnel

Prior to the current pandemic caused by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there was a worldwide pandemic of H1N1 subtype influenza during 1918-1920. One of the most notable records of treatment in Japan is the story of Hiroaki Kimura in Tokyo. He used a formula including saikatsugekito and no patients died. The case was a 31-year-old woman testing positive for COVID-19 was treated with kakkonto (ge-gen-tang) and shosaikotokakikyosekko as an approximate prescription for saikatsugekito for one week from the first day of follow-up at the hotel. On the first day of treatment, the patient had severe headache, decreased oxygen saturation, increased heart rate and shortness of breath at rest as well as during physical activity, and the next day, smell and taste disorders appeared. However, by the time she left the hotel, these symptoms almost completely disappeared. This suggests the efficacy of combination of kakkonto and shosaikotokakikyosekko. Since COVID-19 often presents with symptoms of the interior organs from the early stage of the disease, combination of kakkonto and shosaikotokakikyosekko is considered to be one of the options of Kampo treatment for COVID-19.