Novel Insights into Somatic Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents Across Psychiatric Diagnoses: An Explorative Study

Abstract

Many children with psychiatric disorders display somatic symptoms, although these are frequently overlooked. As somatic morbidity early in life negatively influences long-term outcomes, it is relevant to assess comorbidity. However, studies of simultaneous psychiatric and somatic assessment in children are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of somatic comorbidities in a clinical sample of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders in a naturalistic design. Data were assessed from 276 children with various psychiatric disorders (neurodevelopmental disorders, affective disorders, eating disorders and psychosis) aged 6–18 years. These data were collected as part of routine clinical assessment, including physical examination and retrospectively analyzed. For a subsample (n = 97), blood testing on vitamin D3, lipid spectrum, glucose and prolactin was available. Results of this cross-sectional study revealed that food intake problems (43%) and insomnia (66%) were common. On physical examination, 20% of the children were overweight, 12% displayed obesity and 38% had minor physical anomalies. Blood testing (n = 97) highlighted vitamin D3 deficiency (< 50 nmol/L) in 73% of the children. None of the predefined variables (gender, age, medication and socioeconomic factors) contributed significantly to the prevalence of somatic comorbidities. The main somatic comorbidities in this broad child- and adolescent psychiatric population consisted of (1) problems associated with food intake, including obesity and vitamin D3 deficiency and (2) sleeping problems, mainly insomnia. Child and adolescent psychiatrists need to be aware of potential somatic comorbidities and may promote a healthy lifestyle.

Alterations in Antioxidant Status and Erythrocyte Properties in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…ASD is characterized by core symptoms that include problems in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted repetitive patterns of behavior, activities or interests [3]. In addition to these behavioral characteristics, children with ASD typically suffer from a wide range of somatic problems at a higher rate than their neurotypical counterparts, e.g., feeding and gastrointestinal disorders [4,5], immunological disturbances [6], sleep disorders [7], neurological diseases and a variety of others [8,9]. Oxidative stress, implicated in the pathophysiology of multiple disorders, has been shown to be a common denominator of neurodevelopmental diseases including ASD [10][11][12].…”