People with epilepsy are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than are people without epilepsy, according to a new nationwide cohort study from Sweden. The population-based study included people with epilepsy (n = 85,201), along with their siblings (n = 80,511) and offspring (n = 98,534). The risk of ASD was also increased in siblings and offspring of individuals with epilepsy. The relationship between epilepsy and ASD was bidirectional: a diagnosis of ASD increased the risk of epilepsy almost fivefold. The findings suggest that disorders have a shared aetiology.
References
Sundelin, E. K. et al. Autism and epilepsy. A population-based nationwide cohort study. Neurology http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000002836 (2016)
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Epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders may have a shared aetiology. Nat Rev Neurol 12, 430 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.100
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.100