Incidence of Physical Health Conditions in Autistic Children Within 5 Years After Their Autism Diagnosis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Public Health

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition.
• Comorbid physical health conditions are frequently observed in individuals with ASD.
• Early identification of physical health risks in young autistic children is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the incidence of physical illnesses in young children diagnosed with autism compared to the general population.
• To quantify the risk of developing various physical conditions within five years post-autism diagnosis.
• To examine differences in illness incidence based on sex and intellectual disability status.

Main Methods:

• Population-based cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2000-2019).
• Inclusion of children aged ≤5 years with newly diagnosed autism (n=45,680), matched 1:20 with a general population comparison group (n=913,600).
• Analysis of physical illnesses diagnosed within five years post-diagnosis using Poisson regression, adjusted for person-time and stratified by sex and intellectual disability.

Main Results:

• Autistic children exhibited significantly higher incidence rates for nearly all illnesses across major organ systems within one year of diagnosis.
• Elevated incidence was particularly notable for cardiovascular disorders, cerebrovascular disorders, and endocrine diseases (IRR 2.30-71.42).
• These heightened risks persisted over the five-year follow-up period, with most incidence rate ratios exceeding 2 even in the fifth year.

Conclusions:

• Young children with autism have a substantially increased risk of developing physical illnesses soon after their diagnosis.
• The heightened risk is evident across sexes and intellectual disability statuses, though more pronounced in those with intellectual disabilities.
• Further research into the etiological links between autism and physical comorbidities is essential for developing targeted early-life care strategies.