Autistic people at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-01-31 03:10

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Autistic people are more likely to experience cardiovascular and metabolic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol than their non-autistic peers, according to international researchers. The team looked at data from 34 previous studies on autism, and found, on average, for every 10 non-autistic people who will develop heart disease, diabetes or high cholesterol, 15 or more autistic people will develop each of these conditions. Autistic children, in particular, were found to be at higher risk, being 2.8 times more likely to experience diabetes, and 2.5 times more at risk of high blood pressure, compared to non-autistic children. The study adds to a growing body of research suggesting that autistic people have a much broader range of physical health problems than previously thought, an accompanying editorial says.