Individuals living with severe intellectual disabilities are dying an average of 24 years younger than the general population, according to a recent study. The research also found that 40% of these deaths were considered avoidable.
The study, conducted by King's College London researchers, analysed data from 1,301 adults with severe or profound intellectual disability who died in England between 2021 and 2023. They compared this data with adults with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities and the general population.
The average age of death for people with severe or profound intellectual disability was 58, compared to 82 for the general population. Pneumonia and epilepsy were identified as leading avoidable causes of death in this group, occurring before the age of 75 due to preventable or treatable conditions.
The analysis also highlighted significant ethnic disparities, with individuals from Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds with severe or profound intellectual disabilities dying 14 years sooner than their white peers. Researchers suggest this may indicate additional challenges in accessing healthcare for ethnic minorities and reflects how compounding inequalities worsen existing health outcomes for people with disabilities.
Dr. Michael Kwan Leung Yu, first author of the study, stated the findings point to a need for targeted interventions, including annual health checks, vaccination programmes, and timely management of conditions like pneumonia and epilepsy. Dr. Rory Sheehan, a co-first author, noted that the treatable nature of pneumonia and epilepsy as leading causes of avoidable death suggests a gap between available and received care.