Genetic and environmental contributions to co-occurring physical health conditions in autism spectrum condition and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Pei-Yin Pan, Mark J Taylor, Henrik Larsson and 4 others
PMID 37085910WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism or ADHD, even at subclinical levels, have higher odds of epilepsy, asthma and gut problems.
Twin data show shared genetic factors drive most of these links. This suggests screening for physical health issues is warranted across the neurodevelopmental spectrum.
Key findings
01Clinical and subclinical autism and ADHD are associated with increased odds of epilepsy, asthma, constipation and mixed functional gastrointestinal disorders.
02Shared genetic factors explain the majority of the link between autism and epilepsy, with a genetic correlation of 0.50 for clinical autism and 0.35 for subclinical autism.
03The study did not find a significant association between coeliac disease and clinical autism or ADHD.
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 only included data from hospital registers, missing conditions managed in primary care, which likely underestimates the prevalence of milder physical health issues. Results are based on twins in Sweden and may not generalize to singletons or other populations. The study did not account for socioeconomic status, ethnicity or geographic distribution, which could influence health outcomes. Diagnoses relied on ICD codes and parent reports, which may have classification errors, especially for subclinical traits.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Queen Silvia's Anniversary Fund, Tri-Service General Hospital, the Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan, and Karolinska Institute.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating the physical health condition will resolve the neurodevelopmental symptoms or vice versa. The study shows shared genetic liability, not a causal relationship where one condition causes the other.