Somatic Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Data Integration

Somatic Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Data Integration

Autistic patients have higher rates of co-morbid somatic symptoms. Thus, compared to the general population, they experience more health-related concerns, such as autoimmune disease, gastrointestinal disease, cardiovascular disease, and autonomic disorders. On average, an autistic patient's life span is 16 years shorter than that of a non-autistic patient. Furthermore, autistic patients are often unable to convey or communicate their somatic symptoms in a clear and comprehensive manner. This leads to a lack of proper health care provided in a timely manner.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ASD group: diagnosed with DSM-5 autism spectrum disorder
• clinical group: anxiety, depression, somatic disorder who are non-psychotic and non-organic
• control group: healthy control without psychiatric disorder or chronic somatic symptoms
• age between 15 and 70

Exclusion Criteria:

• psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mood disorder.
• major physical disorder which can be potentially lethal
• who cannot read or comprehend the survey and questionnaire