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Review
. 2020 Jun 30:16:1605-1618.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S251394. eCollection 2020.

Bridging the Gap Between Physical Health and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Regina Sala  1 , Lorene Amet  2 , Natasa Blagojevic-Stokic  3 , Paul Shattock  4 , Paul Whiteley  5
Affiliations
Review

Bridging the Gap Between Physical Health and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Regina Sala et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly complex and heterogeneous developmental disorder that affects how individuals communicate with other people and relate to the world around them. Research and clinical focus on the behavioural and cognitive manifestations of ASD, whilst important, have obscured the recognition that ASD is also commonly associated with a range of physical and mental health conditions. Many physical conditions appear with greater frequency in individuals with ASD compared to non-ASD populations. These can contribute to a worsening of social communication and behaviour, lower quality of life, higher morbidity and premature mortality. We highlight some of the key physical comorbidities affecting the immune and the gastrointestinal systems, metabolism and brain function in ASD. We discuss how healthcare professionals working with individuals with ASD and parents/carers have a duty to recognise their needs in order to improve their overall health and wellbeing, deliver equality in their healthcare experiences and reduce the likelihood of morbidity and early mortality associated with the condition.

Keywords: ASD; autism spectrum disorder; comorbidity; inequality; physical health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr Sala has been an advisor to or has received honoraria from Takeda. Dr Paul Whiteley reports grants from The Robert Luff Foundation, during the preparation of this paper. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Physical health comorbidities associated with ASD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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