Hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipemia among adolescents with intellectual disabilities

• Published in: Research in developmental disabilities 2010-03, Vol.31 (2), p.545-550
• Main Authors: Lin, Pei-Ying, Lin, Lan-Ping, Lin, Jin-Ding
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access to Health Care; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; At Risk Persons; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood Glucose - metabolism; BMI; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cholesterol - blood; Correlation; Disabled students; Disorders of blood lipids. Hyperlipoproteinemia; Female; Foreign Countries; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hyperglycemia - blood; Hyperglycemia - epidemiology; Hyperlipidemia; Hyperlipidemias - blood; Hyperlipidemias - epidemiology; Hypertension; Hypertension - epidemiology; Incidence; Intellectual deficiency; Intellectual disability; Intellectual Disability - epidemiology; Learning disabilities; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Retardation; Metabolic diseases; Metabolism; Obesity - blood; Obesity - epidemiology; Overweight - blood; Overweight - epidemiology; Physical Health; Prevalence; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Policy; Risk Factors; Special Schools; Taiwan; Taiwan - epidemiology; Triglycerides - blood
• ISSN: 0891-4222; 1873-3379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2009.12.002

The present paper aims to assess the hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia prevalence of adolescents with intellectual disabilities, and to recognize the health disparities between the study participants and the general population. This study conducted a cross-sectional medical chart analysis of 856 students who participated in school enrolment health examinations in three special schools in Taiwan from 2005 to 2007. We found there were 11.7% cases had hypertension. The biochemical analyses results showed that the elevated or abnormal rates of each exam were the following: triglyceride (9.1%), total cholesterol (1.1%), and fasting plasma glucose (0.3%). The study found the prevalence of hypertension and elevated triglyceride were significantly higher than the general population at the same age, and the body mass index had significantly correlated to hypertension and elevated triglyceride tests. Based on the study findings, many potential risks for metabolic syndrome in adolescents with intellectual disabilities were higher than the general population. The present study suggests that it is necessary to monitor and set up a follow-up health policy for students with intellectual disabilities in healthcare system.