Observational studyMolecular autism2022
Autism and chronic ill health: an observational study of symptoms and diagnoses of central sensitivity syndromes in autistic adults.
Observational study in Molecular autism, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enhancing emergency department care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan: a systematic review.Frontiers in health services · 2026Pooled it
- Characterizing Interoceptive Differences in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Case-control Studies.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2023Pooled it
- A Cross-Neurotype Analysis of Camouflaging and Illness Perceptions in People with Central Sensitivity Syndromes.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- Exploring the autism and functional neurological disorder association: Considerations from biopsychosocial, neuropsychological and computational models.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Review
- Autistic women report high levels of pain, pain-related anxiety, and pain interference.Pain reports · 2025Article
- Challenging neurotypical norms: Autistic adults' understandings of health.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025Article
- Central Sensitivity Symptoms and Autistic Traits in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2025Article
- Sensory-movement underpinnings of lifelong neurodivergence: getting a grip on autism.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2025Article
- Long-term Memory of Sensory Experiences from the First Pregnancy, its Peri-partum and Post-partum in Women with Autism Spectrum Disorders without Intellectual Disabilities: A Retrospective Study.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Article
- Satisfaction with social connectedness is associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in neurodiverse first-semester college students.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2024Article
- Childhood neurodivergent traits, inflammation and chronic disabling fatigue in adolescence: a longitudinal case-control study.BMJ open · 2024Article
- "I'm dealing with a health care system that doesn't get it": Barriers and facilitators to inclusive healthcare for autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2024Article
- "A perfect storm": Autistic experiences of menopause and midlife.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2024Article
- Chronic Pain in Autistic Youth: Clinical Prevalence and Reflections on Tailoring Evidence-Based Interventions from an Interdisciplinary Treatment Team.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Article
- Case Report: Methylphenidate and venlafaxine improved abdominal nociplastic pain in an adult patient with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and comorbid major depression.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Repetitive Negative Thinking As a Transdiagnostic Prospective Predictor of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Neurodiverse First-Semester College Students.Autism in adulthood · 2023Article
- Mental health challenges faced by autistic people.Nature human behaviour · 2023Review
- Increased rates of chronic physical health conditions across all organ systems in autistic adolescents and adults.Molecular autism · 2023Article
- Alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty predict somatic symptoms in autistic and non-autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAutistic adults, particularly women, are more likely to experience chronic ill health than the general population. Central sensitivity syndromes (CSS) are a group of related conditions that are thought to include an underlying sensitisation of the central nervous system; heightened sensory sensitivity is a common feature. Anecdotal evidence suggests autistic adults may be more prone to developing a CSS. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of CSS diagnoses and symptoms in autistic adults, and to explore whether CSS symptoms were related to autistic traits, mental health, sensory sensitivity, or gender.
methodsThe full sample of participants included 973 autistic adults (410 men, 563 women, mean age = 44.6) registered at the Netherlands Autism Register, who completed questionnaires assessing autistic traits, sensory sensitivity, CSS, physical and mental health symptoms. The reliability and validity of the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) in an autistic sample was established using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Chi
results21% of participants reported one or more CSS diagnosis, and 60% scored at or above the clinical cut-off for a CSS. Autistic women were more likely to report a CSS diagnosis and experienced more CSS symptoms than men. Sensory sensitivity, anxiety, age and gender were significant predictors of CSS symptoms, with sensory sensitivity and anxiety fully mediating the relationship between autistic traits and CSS symptoms. LIMITATIONS: Although this study included a large sample of autistic adults, we did not have a control group or a CSS only group. We also could not include a non-binary group due to lack of statistical power.
conclusionsCSS diagnoses and symptoms appear to be very common in the autistic population. Increased awareness of an association between autism and central sensitisation should inform clinicians and guide diagnostic practice, particularly for women where CSS are common and autism under recognised.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.