Bertelli M O, Paletti F, Piva Merli M, Hassiotis A, Bianco A, Lassi S
CREA - Research and Clinical Center, San Sebastiano Foundation, Misericordia di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
Department of Neurosciences and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
J Intellect Disabil Res. 2025 Feb;69(2):153-164. doi: 10.1111/jir.13195. Epub 2024 Nov 7.
The present observational cross-sectional study aimed at investigating the prevalence of feeding and eating disorders (FEEDs) in adults with intellectual disability (ID)/intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) with or without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and specific problem behaviours (PBs).
Two hundred six adults with ID/IDD consecutively attending residential and rehabilitative facilities, 59.2% of which had co-occurring ASD, were assessed for presence of FEEDs by a structured interview specifically developed for the study and Diagnostic Manual - Intellectual Disability criteria.
The 4.3% of the sample fully met the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, 6.7% for bulimia nervosa (BN) and 22.8% for binge eating disorder (BED). Furthermore, at least one observable symptom of these disorders was found in higher percentages of the sample. A higher prevalence of FEEDs was found in ID/IDD plus ASD than in ID/IDD alone. PBs were also significantly higher in participants with co-occurring ASD and had a positive correlation with the number of FEED symptoms, especially for BN and BED.
The study enriches previous literature and considers novel aspects such as the behavioural/observable presentation of symptoms as well as the association with ASD and PBs. These issues deserve a specific consideration within standard psychiatric assessment and future research, especially in persons with major communication and/or cognitive difficulties.
本观察性横断面研究旨在调查患有或未患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）及特定问题行为（PBs）的成年智力残疾（ID）/智力发育障碍（IDD）患者中喂养和进食障碍（FEEDs）的患病率。
对连续入住住宿和康复机构的206名ID/IDD成年患者进行评估，其中59.2%同时患有ASD，通过专门为本研究制定的结构化访谈和《诊断手册 - 智力残疾标准》评估FEEDs的存在情况。
4.3%的样本完全符合神经性厌食症的诊断标准，6.7%符合神经性贪食症（BN）的诊断标准，22.8%符合暴饮暴食症（BED）的诊断标准。此外，在更高比例的样本中发现了这些疾病的至少一种可观察到的症状。与仅患有ID/IDD的患者相比，患有ID/IDD且伴有ASD的患者中FEEDs的患病率更高。同时患有ASD的参与者中的PBs也显著更高，并且与FEED症状的数量呈正相关，尤其是对于BN和BED。
该研究丰富了先前的文献，并考虑了新的方面，如症状的行为/可观察到的表现以及与ASD和PBs的关联。这些问题在标准的精神病学评估和未来研究中值得特别关注，尤其是在有严重沟通和/或认知困难的人群中。
