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Patients with autism at significantly higher risk for injury-related death

Patients with autism are nearly three times more likely as the general population to die of injuries, with children at an exceptional risk, according to research published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The researchers also noted that the number of deaths of individuals with autism increased 700% over the 16-year study period and could even be higher.

“Until now, injury mortality in the autism spectrum disorder population had been understudied,” Guohua Li, MD, DrPH, department of epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said in a press release. “Despite the marked increase in the number of deaths occurring, autism-related deaths still may be severely underreported particularly deaths from intentional injury such as assaults, homicide and suicide.”

Joseph Guan, BS, also of the department of epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, offered another reason the numbers might not be completely accurate.

“While the numbers are startling, autism as a contributing cause of death is likely undercounted because of the accuracy of information on death certificates filed by coroners varies.”

Guan and Li analyzed more than 32 million death certificates housed within the U.S. National Vital Statistics System, of which 1,367 indicated the patient had autism. The mean age at death for individuals with autism was 36.2 years compared with 72 years for the general population. Of the deaths in individuals with autism, 27.9% were attributed to injury (proportional mortality ratio=2.93; 95% CI,2.64-3.24). This was particularly pronounced in children younger than 15 years of age who had autism (proportional mortality ratio = 41.87; 95% CI, 34.33-50.59).

Among patients with autism, suffocation (proportional mortality ratio = 31.93; 95% CI, 25.69-39.24) was the leading cause of injury mortality, followed by asphyxiation (proportional mortality ratio =13.5; 95% CI, 10.68-16.85) and drowning (proportional mortality ratio=39.89; 95% CI, 31.34-50.06).

The researchers suggested creating prevention programs specifically targeting these causes of mortality, and then carrying those programs out, to lower the risk from death from these causes. – by Janel Miller

Disclosure: Healio Family Medicine was unable to determine the researchers’ relevant financial disclosures prior to publication.