Complete Spectrum of Physical Comorbidities with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Nationwide Cohort.
Hans-Christoph Steinhausen, Martin Dalgaard Villumsen, René Klinkby Støving and 1 others
PMID 39066972WHAT IT FOUND
People with autism have a higher risk of developing most physical diseases from childhood into adulthood compared to the general population.
This risk is especially high for nervous system and ear diseases, and females with autism face greater physical health risks than males.
Key findings
01Individuals with ASD had a higher cumulative risk across time for most disease categories, with the greatest risk increase for nervous system diseases and diseases of the ear and mastoid process.
02For all physical categories except neoplasms, the hazard ratio for ASD-diagnosed individuals compared to references was 1.5 or greater for the first years in the total sample and in both sex-strata.
03Females with ASD were at higher cumulative risk after age 14-20 for infectious, genitourinary, digestive, blood, musculoskeletal, and nervous system diseases compared to males.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used register data, which does not contain information on disease severity, disability level, or late effects of diseases. ASD diagnoses were based on hospital contacts, so individuals who did not seek treatment or were treated in private practice without registration were not included. The study could not test associations between specific ASD subtypes and physical comorbidities due to ambiguous register information. The cohort may underrepresent individuals diagnosed after age 22, potentially biasing results. The study did not account for lifestyle factors or genetic causes that might explain the increased risk.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increased risk of physical diseases as a direct causal effect of autism. The study shows an association, but factors like lifestyle, treatment side effects, or shared genetic vulnerabilities may explain the higher rates of comorbidity.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →