Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
August 19, 2026PLoS MedicineOpen Access

Avoidable mortality, clinical outcomes and determinants of premature death among adults with severe or profound intellectual disability: A population-based analysis of mortality data in England

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Authors

MYMichael Kwan Leung YuRSRory SheehanNMNicholas Magill

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Population-based study reveals high rates of avoidable mortality and reduced life expectancy in adults with severe intellectual disability, highlighting the need for targeted healthcare interventions.

Key Points

  • To evaluate mortality patterns, clinical outcomes, and determinants of premature and avoidable death among adults with severe or profound intellectual disability.
  • Analyzed mortality data from the English Learning from Lives and Deaths programme and Office for National Statistics (2021–2023) across 1,301 adults with severe or profound intellectual disability, 2,626 with mild or moderate intellectual disability, and 536,311 general population adults.
  • Assessed co-occurring conditions, causes of death, years of life lost, and OECD-defined avoidable mortality (<75 years from preventable/treatable causes) using Cox regression and multiple linear regression.
  • Median age at death was significantly lower for severe or profound intellectual disability (57.9 years) compared to mild or moderate intellectual disability (65.0 years) and the general population (81.9 years; p < 0.001), with an adjusted mean difference of −7.17 years (95% CI [−8.16, −6.18]; p < 0.001).
  • Dysphagia (63.0%), epilepsy (36.1%), and visual problems (35.9%) occurred at significantly higher rates in severe or profound intellectual disability than in mild or moderate cases (p < 0.01 for each).
  • Avoidable mortality accounted for 39.5% of deaths among adults with severe or profound intellectual disability, representing 15,059.4 years of life lost.

Cite This Study

Yu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8563d703308d306e2d7435https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1005029
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Epilepsy-related premature mortality in adults with intellectual disability in England: a population-based analysis2025 · 4 citations
  2. 2Potentially avoidable mortality among adults with intellectual disability2024 · 16 citations
  3. 3Dying from avoidable causes: a cohort prospective study to understand the characteristics of people with intellectual disabilities at high risk2024
  4. 4Life expectancy of people with intellectual disability: a retrospective cohort study from New South Wales, Australia2026 · 1 citations
  5. 5Intellectual disability and ageing2025 · 1 citations