Nationwide query reveals high constipation rates and healthcare needs in autistic youth, indicating significant health challenges.
Background: Autism is associated with gastrointestinal problems; however, contemporary data on constipation prevalence and healthcare utilization are lacking. Methods: We queried >20 million electronic records of youth 6-17 years from 70 PCORnet® health systems during 2015-2024, identifying diagnoses of autism, constipation, ED visits and hospitalizations. Results: Among 578,807 autistic children, 22% had constipation versus 9% in non-autistic youth. Autistic children with constipation (versus without) had more frequent abdominal pain (34% vs. 8%), ED visits (26% vs 3%) and hospitalizations for abdominal pain/constipation (16% vs 1%). Conclusions: Approximately 1 in 5 autistic children have constipation and experience high unplanned healthcare utilization.
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Chumpitazi et al. (2026) studied this question.
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