Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39119101›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Europe2024

Diagnosis of common health conditions among autistic adults in the UK: evidence from a matched cohort study.

Elizabeth O'Nions, Jude Brown, Joshua E J Buckman, Rebecca Charlton, Claudia Cooper, Céline El Baou, Francesca Happé, Sarah Hoare, Dan Lewer, Jill Manthorpe and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Lancet regional health. Europe, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Sex differences in psychiatric diagnoses preceding autism diagnosis and their stability post autism diagnosis.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Elizabeth O'NionsUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Jude BrownNational Autistic Society, 391-393 City Rd, London, EC1V 1NG, UK.
Joshua E J BuckmanUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Rebecca CharltonDepartment of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, UK.
Claudia CooperQueen Mary, University of London, Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, London, E1 2AD, UK.
Céline El BaouUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Francesca HappéSocial, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Memory Lane, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
Sarah HoareUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Dan LewerBradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Duckworth Lane, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK.
Jill ManthorpeNIHR Policy Research Unit in Health & Social Care Workforce, King's College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, UK.
Douglas G J McKechnieUCL Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, UCL Medical School (Royal Free Campus), Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF, UK.
Marcus RichardsMRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Rob SaundersUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Will MandyUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Joshua StottUCL Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_UU_00019/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Autistic people are disproportionately likely to experience premature mortality and most mental and physical health conditions. We measured the incidence of diagnosed conditions accounting for the most disability-adjusted life years in the UK population according to the Global Burden of Disease study (anxiety, depression, self-harm, harmful alcohol use, substance use, migraine, neck or back pain, and gynaecological conditions). Methods: Participants were aged 18 years or above and had an autism diagnosis recorded in the IQVIA Medical Research Database between 01/01/2000 and 16/01/2019. We included 15,675 autistic adults without intellectual disability, 6437 autistic adults with intellectual disability, and a comparison group matched (1:10) by age, sex, and primary care practice. We estimated crude incidences and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) adjusted for age and sex. Findings: Autistic adults without intellectual disability experienced a higher incidence (IRR, 95% CI) of self-harm (2.07, 1.79-2.40), anxiety (1.91, 1.76-2.06), depressive disorders (1.79, 1.67-1.92), and substance use (1.24, 1.02-1.51) relative to comparison participants. Incidences of harmful alcohol use (1.01, 0.85-1.18), migraine (0.99, 0.84-1.17), and gynaecological conditions (1.19, 0.95-1.49) did not differ. Neck or back pain incidence was lower (0.88, 0.82-0.95). Autistic adults with intellectual disability experienced a higher incidence of self-harm (2.08, 1.69-2.56). Incidences of anxiety (1.14, 1.00-1.30), gynaecological conditions (1.22, 0.93-1.62), and substance use (1.08, 0.80-1.47) did not differ, and lower incidences were found for depressive disorders (0.73, 0.64-0.83), harmful alcohol use (0.65, 0.50-0.84), migraine (0.55, 0.42-0.74), and neck or back pain (0.49, 0.44-0.55). Interpretation: Although our findings cannot be directly compared to previous prevalence studies, they contrast with the higher frequency of mental and physical health conditions in autistic adults reported in studies that directly assessed and/or surveyed autistic people about co-occurring conditions. The present findings may suggest under-diagnosis of common conditions in autistic people, particularly those with intellectual disability. Improved detection should be a clinical and policy priority to reduce health inequalities. Funding: Dunhill Medical Trust, Economic and Social Research Council, National Institute of Health and Care Research.

Indexed as

AutismIntellectual disabilityMental healthPhysical healthPrimary careSubstance use

Identifiers

PMID39119101
PMCPMC11306212

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.