Conditions comorbid to autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or simply autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in early childhood, persists throughout adulthood, and is characterized by difficulties in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. There are many conditions comorbid to autism, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, and epilepsy.

In medicine, comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions co-occurring with the primary one, or the effect of such additional disorders. Distinguishing between ASD and other diagnoses can be challenging because the traits of ASD often overlap with symptoms of other disorders, and the characteristics of ASD make traditional diagnostic procedures difficult.

Autism is associated with several genetic disorders, perhaps due to an overlap in genetic causes. About 10–15% of autism cases have an identifiable Mendelian (single-gene) condition, chromosome abnormality, or other genetic syndrome, a category referred to as syndromic autism.

Approximately 8 in 10 people with autism suffer from a mental health problem in their lifetime, in comparison to 1 in 4 of the general population that suffers from a mental health problem in their lifetimes.

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