Open AccessUsing phecode analysis to characterize co-occurring medical conditions in autism spectrum disorder
Author(s) -
Michelle D. Failla,
Kyle L. Schwartz,
Shikha Chaganti,
Laurie E. Cutting,
Bennett A. Landman,
Carissa J. Cascio
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
autism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.899
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1461-7005
pISSN - 1362-3613
DOI - 10.1177/1362361320934561
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , autism , psychiatry , psychology , anxiety , neurodevelopmental disorder , clinical psychology , comorbidity
People with autism spectrum disorder often have a number of other medical conditions in addition to autism. These can range from constipation to epilepsy. This study uses medical record data to understand how frequently and how long people with autism have to be seen by a medical professional for these other medical conditions. This study confirmed that people with autism often have a number of other medical conditions and that they have to go see a medical professional about those conditions often. We also looked to see if children diagnosed with autism after age 5 years might have different medical conditions compared to children diagnosed earlier. Children diagnosed later had more conditions like asthma, hearing loss, and mood disorders. This work describes how much medical care people with autism get for different medical conditions and the burden of seeking additional medical care for people with autism and their families.