This report summarises aggregated data on key health issues from 2014 to 2015 for people who were recorded by their GP as having a learning disability, and comparative data about a control group who were recorded as not having a learning disability. It identifies potential differences in the treatment, health status and outcomes of people with learning disabilities compared with the rest of the population, with a purpose of encouraging further research into these areas and facilitating discussion about differences. Key findings include:
– Females with a learning disability had an 18 year shorter life expectancy and males a 14 year shorter life expectancy, in comparison to their respective genders in the general population
– 1 in 2 females with learning disabilities received breast cancer screenings, in comparison to over 2 in 3 females with no learning disabilities
– Some conditions, including epilepsy and diabetes, had higher prevalence in people with learning difficulties, whilst other conditions, including cancer and coronary heart disease, had a lower prevalence.
– Obesity was twice as common in people aged 18-35 with learning difficulties, and being underweight was twice as common in people aged over 64 with learning difficulties.