Autistic adults have poorer quality healthcare and worse health based on self-report data / Elizabeth WEIR in Molecular Autism, 13 (2022)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 13 (2022) . - 23 p. Titre : Autistic adults have poorer quality healthcare and worse health based on self-report data Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Elizabeth WEIR, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur Article en page(s) : 23 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Adult  Autistic Disorder/diagnosis/epidemiology  Cross-Sectional Studies  Delivery of Health Care  Female  Health Status Disparities  Humans  Infant, Newborn  Self Report Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that autistic individuals have shorter lifespans and experience worse health (greater health burden) than non-autistic individuals. Small, qualitative studies suggest that autistic adults also experience poor self-reported healthcare quality. METHODS: An anonymized, cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire was administered to n=4158 individuals. The study assessed prevalence of chronic health conditions, healthcare quality, differences in overall health inequality score, and effects of the coronavirus pandemic on healthcare quality. We used Fisher's exact tests, binomial logistic regression, and predictive machine learning tools, as appropriate. RESULTS: The final sample included n=2649 participants (n=1285 autistic) aged 16-96 years. Autistic adults reported lower quality healthcare than non-autistic adults across 50/51 items, including poorer access to healthcare and poorer communication, alongside increased anxiety, sensory sensitivity, system-level problems, shutdowns, and meltdowns. Differences between groups were stark: aggregated health inequality scores predicted autism diagnosis, even after stratifying by sex. Autistic adults were also more likely to have chronic health conditions than non-autistic adults. There were no significant differences in healthcare quality for autistic adults before and during the pandemic, although they received relatively poorer quality healthcare than non-autistic adults across both periods. LIMITATIONS: The study's sampling methods are not likely to capture the perspectives of all autistic individuals, especially those with intellectual disability. Both the autistic and control samples are biased towards UK residents, white individuals, those assigned female at birth, and those who completed an undergraduate degree or higher education. As such, these results may limit their generalizability to other groups. Finally, these results relate to self-reported differences in healthcare quality between autistic and non-autistic adults. The observed group differences may in part reflect differences in perception and communication rather than differences in actual healthcare quality. CONCLUSIONS: Autistic adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions alongside self-reported lower quality healthcare than others. Health inequalities between these groups are widespread and dramatic; unfortunately, they existed before and have persisted after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-022-00501-w Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=491 [article] Autistic adults have poorer quality healthcare and worse health based on self-report data [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Elizabeth WEIR, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur . - 23 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 13 (2022) . - 23 p. Mots-clés : Adult  Autistic Disorder/diagnosis/epidemiology  Cross-Sectional Studies  Delivery of Health Care  Female  Health Status Disparities  Humans  Infant, Newborn  Self Report Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that autistic individuals have shorter lifespans and experience worse health (greater health burden) than non-autistic individuals. Small, qualitative studies suggest that autistic adults also experience poor self-reported healthcare quality. METHODS: An anonymized, cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire was administered to n=4158 individuals. The study assessed prevalence of chronic health conditions, healthcare quality, differences in overall health inequality score, and effects of the coronavirus pandemic on healthcare quality. We used Fisher's exact tests, binomial logistic regression, and predictive machine learning tools, as appropriate. RESULTS: The final sample included n=2649 participants (n=1285 autistic) aged 16-96 years. Autistic adults reported lower quality healthcare than non-autistic adults across 50/51 items, including poorer access to healthcare and poorer communication, alongside increased anxiety, sensory sensitivity, system-level problems, shutdowns, and meltdowns. Differences between groups were stark: aggregated health inequality scores predicted autism diagnosis, even after stratifying by sex. Autistic adults were also more likely to have chronic health conditions than non-autistic adults. There were no significant differences in healthcare quality for autistic adults before and during the pandemic, although they received relatively poorer quality healthcare than non-autistic adults across both periods. LIMITATIONS: The study's sampling methods are not likely to capture the perspectives of all autistic individuals, especially those with intellectual disability. Both the autistic and control samples are biased towards UK residents, white individuals, those assigned female at birth, and those who completed an undergraduate degree or higher education. As such, these results may limit their generalizability to other groups. Finally, these results relate to self-reported differences in healthcare quality between autistic and non-autistic adults. The observed group differences may in part reflect differences in perception and communication rather than differences in actual healthcare quality. CONCLUSIONS: Autistic adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions alongside self-reported lower quality healthcare than others. Health inequalities between these groups are widespread and dramatic; unfortunately, they existed before and have persisted after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-022-00501-w Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=491

Increased prevalence of non-communicable physical health conditions among autistic adults / Elizabeth WEIR in Autism, 25-3 (April 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 25-3 (April 2021) . - p.681-694 Titre : Increased prevalence of non-communicable physical health conditions among autistic adults Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Elizabeth WEIR, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Varun WARRIER, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.681-694 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : adults  autism spectrum disorders  health services  medical comorbidity Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Previous research indicates autistic individuals die at a younger age than others and that this is possibly due in part to chronic physical health conditions. The present study used an anonymous, online survey to determine how common certain physical health conditions are among autistic adults, compared with non-autistic adults. We found autistic adults are more likely to develop heart conditions, lung conditions, and diabetes than non-autistic adults. Autistic females may be at higher risk of developing certain conditions (including respiratory conditions, asthma, and prediabetes) than autistic males. Finally, autistic individuals have increased health risks even when considering lifestyle factors (such as smoking, alcohol, and body mass index). This is still a relatively small study, and future research needs to confirm these findings and identify why these risks exist. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361320953652 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=444 [article] Increased prevalence of non-communicable physical health conditions among autistic adults [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Elizabeth WEIR, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Varun WARRIER, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur . - p.681-694. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 25-3 (April 2021) . - p.681-694 Mots-clés : adults  autism spectrum disorders  health services  medical comorbidity Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Previous research indicates autistic individuals die at a younger age than others and that this is possibly due in part to chronic physical health conditions. The present study used an anonymous, online survey to determine how common certain physical health conditions are among autistic adults, compared with non-autistic adults. We found autistic adults are more likely to develop heart conditions, lung conditions, and diabetes than non-autistic adults. Autistic females may be at higher risk of developing certain conditions (including respiratory conditions, asthma, and prediabetes) than autistic males. Finally, autistic individuals have increased health risks even when considering lifestyle factors (such as smoking, alcohol, and body mass index). This is still a relatively small study, and future research needs to confirm these findings and identify why these risks exist. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361320953652 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=444

Increased rates of chronic physical health conditions across all organ systems in autistic adolescents and adults / Elizabeth WEIR ; Carrie ALLISON ; Simon BARON-COHEN in Molecular Autism, 14 (2023)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 14 (2023) . - 35 p. Titre : Increased rates of chronic physical health conditions across all organ systems in autistic adolescents and adults Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Elizabeth WEIR, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur Article en page(s) : 35 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: The poorer physical health of autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults has been highlighted by several epidemiological studies. However, research has so far been limited to specific geographical areas and has primarily focused on young autistic individuals (aged 35 years and younger). Recent studies indicate a higher rate of mortality in autistic people, as well as poorer quality of self-reported healthcare interactions. This study aims to determine, first, whether autistic people experience greater levels of non-communicable health conditions and second, whether these are explained by differences in demographics (i.e. sex, country of residence, ethnicity, education level), alcohol use, smoking, body mass index (BMI), or family history of medical conditions. METHOD: We employed a cross-sectional, convenience-sampling study via an anonymous, online survey of autistic and non-autistic adults (n=2305, mean age=41.6, 65.9% female, 49% autistic). The survey asked participants to self-report information about their demographics, autism diagnosis, diet, exercise, sleep, sexual health, substance use, personal medical history, and family medical history (for all first-degree, biological relatives). Binomial logistic regression across four iterative models of increasing complexity was applied to assess rates of physical health conditions. The Benjamini-Hochberg correction was used to account for multiple testing, and only physical health conditions that achieved at least 1% endorsement within the overall sample (n>22) were included in the analysis to reduce risk of Type I errors. We also used novel network analysis methods to test whether there are increased levels of multimorbidity between autistic and non-autistic people. RESULTS: There were significantly elevated rates of non-communicable conditions across all organ systems in autistic people, including gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrine, visual, ear/nose/throat, skin, liver and kidney, and haematological conditions. We confirmed previous findings by showing highly significant differences in rates of neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms (p<0.0001). In addition, we established in the largest sample to date that Ehler-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) was more likely to occur among autistic females compared to non-autistic females. Finally, we found a higher prevalence of Coeliac's disease among autistic individuals compared to non-autistic individuals after controlling for sex, ethnicity, country of residence, alcohol use, smoking, and BMI, but these results became non-significant after accounting for family history. LIMITATIONS: Our study is biased towards females, white individuals, highly educated people, and UK residents, likely due to sampling biases. Our self-report study design may also exclude those who lack access to computers, or those with intellectual disability. Our network analysis is also limited in size. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of widespread, physical health comorbidity that spans nearly all major organ systems in autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults, using both binary logistic regression and network models. Healthcare professionals must be made aware of the range of co-occurring physical health conditions that may be more common among autistic people. However, our findings also point towards potential avenues requiring further exploration, such as the association of autism with both Coeliac's disease and EDS. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00565-2 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=513 [article] Increased rates of chronic physical health conditions across all organ systems in autistic adolescents and adults [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Elizabeth WEIR, Auteur ; Carrie ALLISON, Auteur ; Simon BARON-COHEN, Auteur . - 35 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 14 (2023) . - 35 p. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: The poorer physical health of autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults has been highlighted by several epidemiological studies. However, research has so far been limited to specific geographical areas and has primarily focused on young autistic individuals (aged 35 years and younger). Recent studies indicate a higher rate of mortality in autistic people, as well as poorer quality of self-reported healthcare interactions. This study aims to determine, first, whether autistic people experience greater levels of non-communicable health conditions and second, whether these are explained by differences in demographics (i.e. sex, country of residence, ethnicity, education level), alcohol use, smoking, body mass index (BMI), or family history of medical conditions. METHOD: We employed a cross-sectional, convenience-sampling study via an anonymous, online survey of autistic and non-autistic adults (n=2305, mean age=41.6, 65.9% female, 49% autistic). The survey asked participants to self-report information about their demographics, autism diagnosis, diet, exercise, sleep, sexual health, substance use, personal medical history, and family medical history (for all first-degree, biological relatives). Binomial logistic regression across four iterative models of increasing complexity was applied to assess rates of physical health conditions. The Benjamini-Hochberg correction was used to account for multiple testing, and only physical health conditions that achieved at least 1% endorsement within the overall sample (n>22) were included in the analysis to reduce risk of Type I errors. We also used novel network analysis methods to test whether there are increased levels of multimorbidity between autistic and non-autistic people. RESULTS: There were significantly elevated rates of non-communicable conditions across all organ systems in autistic people, including gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrine, visual, ear/nose/throat, skin, liver and kidney, and haematological conditions. We confirmed previous findings by showing highly significant differences in rates of neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms (p<0.0001). In addition, we established in the largest sample to date that Ehler-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) was more likely to occur among autistic females compared to non-autistic females. Finally, we found a higher prevalence of Coeliac's disease among autistic individuals compared to non-autistic individuals after controlling for sex, ethnicity, country of residence, alcohol use, smoking, and BMI, but these results became non-significant after accounting for family history. LIMITATIONS: Our study is biased towards females, white individuals, highly educated people, and UK residents, likely due to sampling biases. Our self-report study design may also exclude those who lack access to computers, or those with intellectual disability. Our network analysis is also limited in size. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of widespread, physical health comorbidity that spans nearly all major organ systems in autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults, using both binary logistic regression and network models. Healthcare professionals must be made aware of the range of co-occurring physical health conditions that may be more common among autistic people. However, our findings also point towards potential avenues requiring further exploration, such as the association of autism with both Coeliac's disease and EDS. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00565-2 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=513

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