Study finds higher parkinsonism diagnoses among older adults with autism

A study using public-insurance claims found higher rates of parkinsonism diagnoses among adults aged 45 and older with autism or intellectual disabilities. Researchers said the association remained after excluding people taking antipsychotic medications, while noting limitations in the claims data.

• Researchers analyzed Medicare and Medicaid claims for nearly 57 million people aged 45 and older from 2017 to 2019.· 2 sources
• Reported parkinsonism prevalence was 1.57% in the general population, 3.83% among adults with autism alone, 4.32% with intellectual disability alone, and 4.86% with both diagnoses.· 2 sources
• The researchers reported higher rates after excluding people who took antipsychotic medications; they also noted that claims data may include coding errors and do not capture symptom severity or some other potential factors.· 2 sources