A comparison of the prevalence of chronic disease among people with and without intellectual disability.
Adults with ID carry higher heart and thyroid risk yet fewer common pain disorders—adjust your health screens accordingly.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Morin et al. (2012) compared chronic disease rates between adults with and without intellectual disability. They used Quebec health-registry data to count who had heart disease, thyroid problems, arthritis, migraines, back pain, and food allergies.
The team split the ID group by cause and severity to see if patterns changed.
What they found
Adults with ID had more heart disease and thyroid trouble than the general public. Surprisingly, they had less arthritis, migraines, back pain, and food allergies.
The exact numbers shifted when ID was mild, severe, or linked to Down syndrome.
How this fits with other research
de Leeuw et al. (2024) extend these findings to U.S. Medicaid adults with IDD. They report heart-disease rates as high as 75%, matching the higher risk Diane flagged.
Day et al. (2021) conceptually replicate the study in 572 older Irish adults. They confirm high chronic disease load and add that 69% are also overweight or obese.
Doughty et al. (2015) zoom in on one hidden result: 8% of mid-life adults with ID have undiagnosed peripheral arterial disease, again showing vascular risk.
Faught et al. (2021) connect the dots: the same disease burden drives more preventable hospital stays for people with IDD, proving the pattern has real-world costs.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with ID, screen early for heart and thyroid problems instead of assuming typical aches and pains. Add blood-pressure, thyroid, and PAD checks to annual plans. Track weight too—Day et al. (2021) show obesity amplifies every other condition. Share the list with physicians so pain complaints are not dismissed just because arthritis rates look lower on paper.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Some studies have reported the presence of health disparities in people with intellectual disability. This study compared the prevalence of chronic health conditions between people with and without intellectual disability (ID). Health-related data for 791 people with ID were collected through a province-wide mail survey in Quebec, Canada. The distribution of chronic health conditions reported was compared to the data on the health status of the general population. People with ID had higher reported rates of heart disease and thyroid disorder than the general population. We also found that people with ID were less likely to report suffering from arthritis, migraines, back or spinal pain, and food allergies. Significant health differences were found when the ID sample was stratified by etiology (i.e., Down syndrome) and severity of intellectual deficits. We discuss these results and the need for future research to understand the differences found in the health status of people with ID.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-117.6.455