Lives Lost to Autism: August 2013

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Dena Burns Drowns in Pond

SWAINSBORO, Ga. -- Emanuel County sheriff's officials say a 6-year-old girl with autism has drowned in a pond.

Sheriff Tyson Stephens said Thursday that foul play is not suspected in the death of Dena Burns.
Investigators say her parents reported her missing Thursday morning and they told authorities they believed she walked away from their home in Swainsboro.

Officials found the girl unconscious in a nearby pond and were unable to revive her.
(Associated Press)

Read here.

Causes of Death in Autism

Robert M. Shavelle, David J. Strauss and Jane Pickett

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Volume 31, Number 6, 569-576, DOI: 10.1023/A:1013247011483

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine which causes of death are more frequent in persons with autism, and by how much, compared with the general population. Subjects were 13,111 ambulatory Californians with autism, followed between 1983 and 1997. The units of study were person-years, each linked to the subject''s age, sex, and cause of death (if any) for the specific year. Observed numbers of cause-specific deaths were compared with numbers expected according to general population mortality rates. Standardized mortality rates (SMRs) were computed for each mental retardation level. Elevated death rates were observed for several causes, including seizures and accidents such as suffocation and drowning; elevated mortality due to respiratory disease was observed among persons with severe mental retardation. Overall, excess mortality was especially marked for persons with severe mental retardation, but life expectancy is reduced even for persons who are fully ambulatory and who have only mild mental retardation.

Mortality and causes of death in autism spectrum disorders: an update.

Autism. 2008 Jul;12(4):403-14.

Mouridsen SE, Brønnum-Hansen H, Rich B, Isager T.

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. sem01@bbh.hosp.dk

Abstract

This study compared mortality among Danish citizens with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with that of the general population. A clinical cohort of 341 Danish individuals with variants of ASD, previously followed over the period 1960-93, now on average 43 years of age, were updated with respect to mortality and causes of death. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for various times after diagnosis. In all, 26 persons with ASD had died, whereas the expected number of deaths was 13.5. Thus the mortality risk among those with ASD was nearly twice that of the general population. The SMR was particularly high in females. The excess mortality risk has remained unchanged since our first study in 1993. Eight of the 26 deaths were associated with epilepsy and four died from epilepsy. Future staff education should focus on better managing of the complex relationships between ASD and physical illness to prevent avoidable deaths.

PMID: 18579647 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]