Comorbidity and Health Outcomes in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder is characterised by core differences in social communication and restricted patterns of behaviour. Beyond these defining features, individuals often experience a broad array of additional medical and psychiatric conditions that can complicate their overall health trajectory. Physical comorbidities encompass epilepsy, sleep-wake disturbances, gastrointestinal dysfunction, metabolic dysregulation and heightened cardiovascular risk, while psychiatric comorbidities include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, mood fluctuations and self-injurious behaviours. The co-occurrence of multiple conditions is associated with increased healthcare utilisation, reduced adaptive functioning and a substantially elevated risk of premature mortality across the lifespan. Variation by age, sex and intellectual functioning underlines the need for routine, lifespan-spanning surveillance. Emerging evidence supports personalised risk stratification and integrated care pathways to optimise long-term health outcomes and quality of life for autistic individuals on a global scale.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Comorbidity and Health Outcomes in Autism Spectrum Disorder publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in comorbidity and health outcomes in autism spectrum disorder across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Comorbidity: Co-existence of two or more medical or psychiatric conditions in the same individual.

Hazard ratio: Measure comparing the rate at which an event occurs in one group versus another over time.

Prevalence: Proportion of a population affected by a condition at a specific point in time.

Population-based study: Research using data from a defined general population to yield representative estimates.

All-cause mortality: Death due to any cause within a studied population.

Internalising and externalising behaviours: Internalising involves inward-directed symptoms (e.g. anxiety), externalising involves outward-directed behaviours (e.g. aggression).

References

1. Age-related physical health of older autistic adults in Sweden: a longitudinal, retrospective, population-based cohort study. The Lancet Healthy Longevity (2023).
2. Population-Based Psychiatric Comorbidity in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022).
3. Mortality in Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. JAMA Pediatrics (2022).
4. Umbrella systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on comorbid physical conditions in people with autism spectrum disorder.. The British Journal of Psychiatry (2020).