Chronic Health Conditions Among Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in a State Medicaid System

Abstract

Despite a growing number of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and documented risk for adverse outcomes as they age, little is known about the health and healthcare patterns of adults with different IDD throughout adulthood. This study uses Wisconsin Medicaid claims data to characterize health conditions among adults with IDD. Results indicate high prevalence of asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Heart disease rates were particularly high, having been observed among 39% of autistic adults, 64% of autistic adults with intellectual disability (ID), 67% of adults with Down syndrome, and 75% of adults with ID only. Given there are no known biological differences underlying increased morbidities among most people with IDD, developing inclusive prevention measures should be prioritized in future research.