Aging with intellectual disabilities: a study in Portugal about clinical conditions, functionality, and frailty.
4 affiliations
- 1RISE-Health, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
- 2Federação Nacional de Cooperativas de Solidariedade Social, Lisboa, Portugal.
- 3CERCI Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
- 4University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Abstract
The life expectancy of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) has increased more than that of the general population, demanding a deeper understanding of their health profiles to inform tailored healthy aging interventions. This study aimed to characterize persons with ID aged ≥ 45 years in terms of clinical conditions (degree of ID, comorbidities, and medication), malnutrition risk, functional capacity and frailty. To our knowledge, this is the first study to address this topic in Portugal. A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design was used, with a non-probability convenience sampling of 234 individuals with ID aged ≥ 45 years. Questionnaires were completed by organizational mediators, achieving a response rate of 18.5%. The mean age was 53.32 years; 56.4% were male, 97.9% were single, and 98.3% had no children. The main findings are as follows: (i) degree of ID: 52.1% moderate, 25.6% severe, 15% mild and 7.3% profound; (ii) high prevalence of comorbidities; (iii) 38.9% were on five or more medicines (polypharmacy); (iv) 44.9% were at risk of malnutrition and 4.7% were malnourished; (v) 23.1% had total or severe dependence in basic activities of daily living; (vi) 85.5% were severely and 14.5% were moderately dependent in instrumental activities of daily living; and (vii) 46.3% were classified as being frail. Older adults with ID seemed to present complex clinical conditions that required a higher intensity of support. These findings contribute to the continuous development of a model of care tailored to older people with ID, particularly healthy aging interventions.
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BibTeX
@article{letra2026aging,
title = {{Aging with intellectual disabilities: a study in Portugal about clinical conditions, functionality, and frailty.}},
author = {Mariana Letra and Joao Tavares and Sara Guerra and Ana Rita Peralta and Fatima Duarte and Raquel Amaral and Liliana Sousa},
journal = {Frontiers in human neuroscience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2026.1952261},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953056},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Aging with intellectual disabilities: a study in Portugal about clinical conditions, functionality, and frailty.
AU - Mariana Letra
AU - Joao Tavares
AU - Sara Guerra
AU - Ana Rita Peralta
AU - Fatima Duarte
AU - Raquel Amaral
AU - Liliana Sousa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in human neuroscience
DO - 10.3389/fnhum.2026.1952261
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953056
AB - The life expectancy of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) has increased more than that of the general population, demanding a deeper understanding of their health profiles to inform tailored healthy aging interventions. This study aimed to characterize persons with ID aged ≥ 45 years in terms of clinical conditions (degree of ID, comorbidities, and medication), malnutrition risk, functional capacity and frailty. To our knowledge, this is the first study to address this topic in Portugal. A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design was used, with a non-probability convenience sampling of 234 individuals with ID aged ≥ 45 years. Questionnaires were completed by organizational mediators, achieving a response rate of 18.5%. The mean age was 53.32 years; 56.4% were male, 97.9% were single, and 98.3% had no children. The main findings are as follows: (i) degree of ID: 52.1% moderate, 25.6% severe, 15% mild and 7.3% profound; (ii) high prevalence of comorbidities; (iii) 38.9% were on five or more medicines (polypharmacy); (iv) 44.9% were at risk of malnutrition and 4.7% were malnourished; (v) 23.1% had total or severe dependence in basic activities of daily living; (vi) 85.5% were severely and 14.5% were moderately dependent in instrumental activities of daily living; and (vii) 46.3% were classified as being frail. Older adults with ID seemed to present complex clinical conditions that required a higher intensity of support. These findings contribute to the continuous development of a model of care tailored to older people with ID, particularly healthy aging interventions.
SN - 1662-5161
ER -