Open AccessPrevalence and incidence of physical health conditions in people with intellectual disability – a systematic review
Author(s) -
Peiwen Liao,
Claire M. Vajdic,
Julian N. Trollor,
Simone Reppermund
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0256294
Subject(s) - medicine , population , incidence (geometry) , psycinfo , intellectual disability , medline , cerebral palsy , pediatrics , obesity , gerontology , environmental health , psychiatry , physics , political science , law , optics
Objective To synthesize evidence on the prevalence and incidence of physical health conditions in people with intellectual disability (ID). Methods We searched Medline, PsycInfo, and Embase for eligible studies and extracted the prevalence, incidence, and risk of physical health conditions in people with ID. Results Of 131 eligible studies, we synthesized results from 77 moderate- to high-quality studies, which was mainly limited to high-income countries. The highest prevalence estimates were observed for epilepsy, ear and eye disorders, cerebral palsy, obesity, osteoporosis, congenital heart defects, and thyroid disorders. Some conditions were more common in people with a genetic syndrome. Compared with the general population, many health conditions occur more frequently among people with ID, including asthma and diabetes, while some conditions such as non-congenital circulatory diseases and solid cancers occur at the same or lower rate. The latter associations may reflect under-detection. Conclusions People with ID have a health profile more complex than previously known. There is a pressing need for targeted, evidence-informed population health initiatives including preventative programs for this population.