Medical comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder.

DIAGNOSIS of autism; ALLERGIES; AUTISM; GASTROINTESTINAL diseases; SLEEP disorders; COMORBIDITY; TREATMENT effectiveness; DISEASE complications

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the new diagnosis in place of the four pervasive developmental disorders, has a prevalence of 1 in 68 children. Narrowing four diagnoses into one - most children with former diagnoses of PDD-NOS, for example, will meet criteria for ASD - maintains this illness as a heterogeneous one. Improvements due to the DSM-5 change, however, are hoped to improve diagnostic sensitivity. Among the many heterogeneities in ASD are etiology and clinical presentation; the focus of this article will be on medical comorbidities. Not all children with ASD have comorbid medical problems. The rates are higher than for children without ASD, and diagnosis and treatment are particularly challenging in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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