Adults with autism have more health problems

Adults with autism have a higher risk of developing health problems including depression, high blood pressure and obesity, according to a new study.  Some health problems found in children with autism were also found in adults with autism.  

Credit:  NIH

"Some of these conditions we've seen in children with autism, so we expected higher rates of anxiety and depression, and some of the medical disorders, such as gastrointestinal disturbances, in adults," said Dr Lisa Croen the study leader. "That's been reported for a long time in children, so we're not surprised to see those continue to be elevated," she added. "But we were surprised by the magnitude of what we found."

Interestingly, adults with autism were less likely to smoke or drink alcohol. The study of over 2,000 adults with autism  was done by the Autism Research Program of Kaiser Permanente in California.

Source:

Study Finds Many Health Woes Common In Autistic Adults

©Mary M Conneely T/A Advocacy in Action