Developmental disability linked to heart disease and stroke
Heart and blood vessel disease risk was higher than in matched controls, with a hazard ratio—a measure of relative risk—of 1.88.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 170,998 people with intellectual disability or autism
- What changed:
- Heart and blood vessel disease risk was higher with developmental disability than in matched controls (hazard ratio 1.88)
- The catch:
- Differences in access to care could contribute to the higher cardiovascular disease risk
- In the record:
- The first paper on developmental disability with results in people; 13 on record in all.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In Korea, 170,998 people registered with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder were compared with 512,994 age- and sex-matched controls in a retrospective cohort study. Participants were registered during 2004–2020, and follow-up continued until 2023.
After accounting for other factors, developmental disability was associated with higher risks of heart and blood vessel disease, heart attack, and ischemic stroke—a stroke caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. Both disability groups had higher risks than controls. The autism group had lower risks than the intellectual disability group. Associations with heart and blood vessel disease were stronger in females than males, in children and adolescents than adults, and in metropolitan residents than urban or rural residents.
Why it matters
Preventing heart and blood vessel disease is part of healthy aging. The authors called for public health strategies to prevent these diseases in people with developmental disability.
Caveats
Other differences in health or access to care may have contributed to the links despite statistical adjustment. The findings concern people registered with intellectual disability or autism in Korea.
- Developmental disability
- Intellectual disability
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Ischemic stroke
- Cardiovascular disease
- Humans
The paper
Seoul National University Bundang Hospital; Soongsil University
Epidemiology and Health, Oct 29, 2026, Open access
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