Autism Secondary Data Analysis Program - Autism and epilepsy commonly co-occur; approximately 30% of children with autism have epilepsy and vice versa. Chromosomal abnormalities, genetic copy number variants, metabolic illness, and pre- and perinatal infections are examples of factors that predispose to both autism and epilepsy, thus suggesting shared biology for the two conditions. Further identification of shared etiologies of these conditions is important for developing early interventions and supporting individuals presenting with both conditions. However, findings from different studies regarding the frequency of the co-occurrence of epilepsy with autism, as well as the etiological basis for this association are inconsistent - possibly because of variation in the specific epilepsy syndromes and autism subtypes included. Previous studies have not characterized the associations of specific epilepsy and autism subtypes (Asperger syndrome, childhood autism, atypical autism, other pervasive developmental disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder), leaving a critical need to understand the overlap between those conditions in the context of their clinical and etiological heterogeneity. We propose to leverage epidemiologic studies to investigate, the degree to which risk of epilepsy is increased in autistic individuals, how these associations differ across subtypes of both diagnoses, and what factors contribute to this increased risk. The results will provide a basis both for discovering underlying mechanisms, predicting patient outcomes and identification of early intervention strategies to improve quality of life. We aim to examine the temporal profile of epilepsy development in autistic persons and elucidate the clinical features of autism and epilepsy that predict their co-occurrence, using the CPRD database. We will also identify factors associated with the development of epilepsy in persons with autism. Risk factors to be examined will include age, sex, race/ethnicity, pre- and perinatal exposures, socioeconomic status, genetic factors and autism subtype, using the CPRD database. We hypothesize that the incidence of epilepsy is higher after diagnosis of autism compared to no diagnosis of autism; the co-occurrence varies by clinically-defined subtypes of autism and epilepsy. Risk of epilepsy in autistic individuals, compared with controls without autism is increased in those with associated chromosomal abnormalities, metabolic illness, and pre- and perinatal maternal infections.
