What this means
Life expectancy among individuals with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities/Polyhandicap (PIMD/PLH) has increased, making information essential for age-appropriate care. This study compared health characteristics and care use between younger and older adults with PIMD/PLH in institutions.
A plain-English summary is on its way. Until then, this is the start of the authors' own summary.
- Who it was tested in
- People
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Health and Care Characteristics of Ageing Adults With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities Living in French Facilities.
- Authors
- Rousseau MC, Anzola AB, El Ouazzani H et al.
- Journal
- Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID
- Published
- Oct 28, 2026
- Study type
- Study · in humans
- PMID
- 42947490 ↗
Abstract
Background
Life expectancy among individuals with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities/Polyhandicap (PIMD/PLH) has increased, making information essential for age-appropriate care. This study compared health characteristics and care use between younger and older adults with PIMD/PLH in institutions.
What they did
This cross-sectional study used data from the French PIMD/PLH cohort. Inclusion criteria were (i) age > 3 years; (ii) PIMD/PLH diagnosis. Data on health characteristics and health care consumption were included. Adults were compared by age (≤ 45 vs. > 45 years).
What they found
Mean age was 34.5 ± 6.0 in the younger group and 55 ± 5.9 in the older group. While overall polyhandicap severity was similar, older adults exhibited a greater dependency level. Gastroesophageal reflux and symptomatic osteoporosis were more prevalent in the younger group; dental disorders, chronic pain, and sleep disorders predominated in the older group. Older adults received less medical and paramedical care. This study highlights the need for lifelong medical and rehabilitative care in PIMD/PLH.
Other details
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02400528.
The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.
Rousseau MC, Anzola AB, El Ouazzani H et al. Health and Care Characteristics of Ageing Adults With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities Living in French Facilities. Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID. 2026. doi:10.1111/jar.70324. PMID: 42947490. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42947490/