Chronic disease prevalence and patterns of comorbidities in people with intellectual disabilities

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to examine chronic chronic disease prevalence in people with ID compared to those without ID in primary care settings and comorbidity patterns accompanying chronic diseases, by focusing on age and sex differences. With a focus on the four highest-impact chronic diseases worldwide and individually, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is assessed to what extent these diseases affect people with ID. Two databases are linked, that of Nivel Primary Care Database, a large representative sample of Dutch citizens registered in general practices, and non-public microdata from Statistics Netherlands, containing information on indication of long-term care or supportive services for people with ID. With prevalence rates and odds ratios chronic disease prevalence and comorbidity patterns were established by total groups of people with and without ID and by sex and age groups. Results displayed differences in chronic disease prevalence in people with and without ID: cardiovascular diseases were less prevalent, and diabetes mellitus more prevalent in people with ID. At relatively young age (<50 years), people with ID not only had more chronic diseases, but also more often had multiple comorbidities compared to those without ID. The most common comorbidity in all chronic diseases was hypertension, while diabetes mellitus as comorbidity also occurred often. This study is the first to present chronic disease prevalence and comorbidity patterns across the groups of people with and without ID and by sex and age groups. It can therefore be used as source of accurate information on the health prevalence and patterns of people with ID compared to the general populations, and provides a novel insight into differences in the group of people with ID.