Retrospective Analysis of Burn Injuries in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Lauren E Mazur, Katelyn M Even, Conrad Krawiec
PMID 38607476WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism spectrum disorder who suffered burn injuries had nearly double the odds of dying within a year compared to those without ASD.
They also required critical care and mechanical ventilation more often, suggesting higher injury severity or complications.
Key findings
01Children with ASD had significantly higher odds of all-cause mortality at 1 year compared to those without ASD.
02Subjects with ASD had higher odds of requiring critical care services, hospitalization, and mechanical ventilation after a burn injury.
03Children with ASD were more likely to have burns involving 60 to 69 percent of their body surface.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study relied on electronic health records, so minor burn injuries that did not result in a medical visit may have been missed. The database did not allow for an assessment of the specific severity of the burn injury itself, only the associated interventions and codes. Race and ethnicity data collection methods were unknown due to the multi-institutional nature of the data. Mortality data may be underreported for children who died outside of participating healthcare institutions. The study used convenience sampling and did not perform a power analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this study proves ASD directly causes worse burn outcomes. The higher mortality and care needs may be driven by confounding factors like the higher rate of comorbid conditions (such as ADHD and complex chronic conditions) in the ASD group, or differences in how injuries are coded and managed, rather than the ASD diagnosis itself.