{"id":15200,"date":"2018-05-11T08:38:59","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T08:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/?p=15200"},"modified":"2020-06-09T12:59:40","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T12:59:40","slug":"scientists-just-beginning-to-understand-autistic-adults-unique-health-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/scientists-just-beginning-to-understand-autistic-adults-unique-health-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists just beginning to understand autistic adults\u2019 unique health needs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The researchers found that individuals with ASD had increased risks of developing several health complications, including various cardiovascular issues, hypothyroidism, and other neurological issues. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH.COM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the 1990s, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children rose sharply. These children are now entering adulthood, yet physicians and scientists know very little about the health outcomes they might face. Most studies of health have focused on children and adolescents.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, new research\u00a0published<\/a>\u00a0this week by scientists at the University of Wisconsin\u00ad\u00ad\u2013Madison found that older adults with ASD may be at greater risk than people without the disorder of developing several health problems, including cardiovascular, urinary, respiratory and digestive issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the few studies to look at health problems in a primarily middle-aged and older population of individuals with ASD,\u201d says lead author,\u00a0Lauren Bishop-Fitzpatrick<\/a>. \u201cKnowing what health issues adults with autism are more likely to encounter is critical to provide them with effective care and develop prevention strategies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With colleagues, Bishop-Fitzpatrick, assistant professor of\u00a0social work<\/a>\u00a0and a researcher at the UW\u2013Madison\u00a0Waisman Center<\/a>, used machine learning \u2013 a form of artificial intelligence \u2013 to analyze de-identified electronic health records of individuals who had received healthcare from the\u00a0Marshfield Clinic<\/a>in central Wisconsin and have since passed away.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lauren Bishop-Fitzpatrick PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UW\u2013MADISON WAISMAN CENTER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They analyzed the health records of 91 individuals with ASD and more than 6,000 individuals without ASD from the same region as comparison. The ratio of patients with and without autism was roughly equal to 1:68, the most recent rate of ASD prevalence in the United States as calculated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers found that individuals with ASD had increased risks of developing several health complications, including various cardiovascular issues, hypothyroidism, and other neurological issues. They were at decreased risk of alcohol abuse, hypertension, and of developing metastatic cancers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based solely on information from patients\u2019 electronic health records, the researchers were also able to independently predict with 93 percent accuracy whether or not a specific individual had ASD.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese findings can help us direct healthcare resources and work on prevention efforts more efficiently,\u201d says Bishop-Fitzpatrick. \u201cFor example, knowing that adults with ASD may be at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, we can start adapting techniques and healthcare measures that are already in place for the general population to best help adults with ASD.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Learning more about the healthcare issues of adults with ASD could also help extend their lives. A 2016\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0in Sweden found that individuals with ASD died at significantly younger ages \u2013 nearly 20 years earlier \u2013 compared to those without ASD.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers hope their findings will lead to larger, more comprehensive studies that focus on the health issues faced by older individuals with ASD. Bishop-Fitzpatrick also plans to speak to individuals with autism and their families to understand their individual health issues and concerns at the same time that she works to understand these at the population level.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to create strategies and interventions that can help individuals with ASD live longer and healthier lives and to make sure they have the best quality of life for as long as possible,\u201d says Bishop-Fitzpatrick.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her study co-authors include UW\u2013Madison colleagues\u00a0Arezoo Movaghar<\/a>,\u00a0David Page<\/a>,\u00a0Leann Smith DaWalt<\/a>,\u00a0Jan Greenberg<\/a>, and\u00a0Marsha Mailick<\/a>,, as well as\u00a0Murray Brilliant<\/a>, of Marshfield Clinic.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 1990s, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children rose sharply. These children are now entering adulthood, yet physicians and scientists know very little about the health outcomes they might face. Most studies of health have focused on children and adolescents. However, new research\u00a0published\u00a0this week by scientists at the University of Wisconsin\u00ad\u00ad\u2013Madison […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,22,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicine","category-other","category-research"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",775,242,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242-300x94.jpg",300,94,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242-768x240.jpg",750,234,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",750,234,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",775,242,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",775,242,false],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",775,242,false],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",775,242,false],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",600,187,false],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",600,187,false],"newspaper-x-single-post":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",760,237,false],"newspaper-x-recent-post-big":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",550,172,false],"newspaper-x-recent-post-list-image":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",95,30,false],"web-stories-poster-portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",640,200,false],"web-stories-publisher-logo":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",96,30,false],"web-stories-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Measuring_Health_1600x500-775x242.jpg",150,47,false]},"author_info":{"info":["Amrita Tuladhar"]},"category_info":"Medicine<\/a> Other<\/a> Research<\/a>","tag_info":"Research","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}