Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Health issues and health care in autism spectrum disorders

Trajkovski V. Health issues and health care in autism spectrum disorders. Book of Abstracts International Scientific Conference: „Focus on Autism“. Krakow, 27-29 September 2018; 128-129.

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has many forms that affect people in a variety of ways and in varying degrees. Each person’s experience with autism presents unique challenges, as well as strengths, which define the type of support needed to lead a fulfilling life.
If the child has been diagnosed with autism parents already face special behavioral challenges. What makes ASD even more difficult are the many other medical health issues that often arise in conjunction with it.
The purpose of this article is to summarize the latest understanding of autism’s commonly associated physical and mental health conditions, including how best to identify, treat and in some cases prevent them to improve overall health and quality of life.
Results: Autism is a whole-body disorder because it is frequently in co-morbidity which include: seizures, gastrointestinal disorders, immunological disorders, sleep disturbances, eating and feeding challenges, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Macedonian study showed that the most prevalent health conditions were acute infectious disease: varicella and measles in 41%. Angina was seen in 33%, than 16 patients had allergies. Seizures were represented in 14% of subjects, and 11% had gastrointestinal disorders.
Conclusion: Genetic research is delving into the biological causes of autism-associated health conditions. This is part of a new avenue of autism research aimed at identifying the many biological subtypes of autism and developing personalized treatments and supports. It is important that parents should keep very detailed notes on any areas of concern. This can aid doctors to make better diagnosis and to have more treatment options, giving them the best shot possible at reducing or eliminating these issues.
Implications: Specialists at leading autism care centers are working with patients and their families to improve the health and quality of life of all those with ASD by developing and disseminating evaluation and treatment guidelines for healthcare providers.


Key words: health issues, health care, autism spectrum disorders

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