Objective:

To better understand the health profiles of people with intellectual disability (ID), focusing on the variables that are associated with a poorer health status.

Materials and methods:

Data were collected from the Survey on Disability, Personal Autonomy and Dependency (EDAD 2008) of the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). The health data of 2840 subjects with IDD were analyzed in order to verify the impact of different variables on their health profiles.

Results:

People with severe and profound levels of IDD presented a higher number of medical diagnoses. At residence centers there was a larger proportion of individuals with a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and more severe conditions; age also was an important factor.

Conclusion:

The health profiles of individuals with IDD differ depending on the severity level of their IDD and their degree of institutionalization. Further research is needed to provide better health care for people with IDD.

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