Non-COVID Respiratory Infections Related Emergency Room Visits Among Autistic Adults in the United States

Abstract

IntroductionThis is a retrospective study to examine the risk of non-COVID-19 respiratory infection (RI) related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations among autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults using the 2018 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (HCUP-NEDS). MethodsThe data were analyzed in 2022 using the ICD-10-CM codes to extract about 46,996 autistic case records that were matched by age and sex with non-autistic records (140,997) in a 1:3 case-control ratio. Respiratory infections were also identified using the ICD-10-CM codes and classified by type. Logistic regression models were conducted for the likelihood of presenting with RI infections to the ED and subsequent hospitalization. All models were adjusted for covariates. ResultsAutistics were more likely to present with any type of respiratory infection at the emergency department (AOR = 1.83: CI= 1.69-2.42), lower respiratory infections (AOR=1.37: CI=1.09-1.50), and pneumonia (AOR=2.42: CI=1.98-2.47) compared to non-autistics. They are also more likely to be hospitalized from RIs during ED visits (AOR=3.87: CI=3.21-4.30), including upper and lower RIs, pneumonia, and bronchitis. ConclusionsAutistic individuals were more likely to experience emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to respiratory infections compared to non-autistic individuals. Amid growing evidence of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the autistic population, our findings highlight a broader, pre-existing burden of respiratory infections among autistic adults in the US that extends beyond the recent pandemic.