The US National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on Wednesday, May 7, that they have partnered to investigate the causes of autism spectrum disorder, establishing a database of Medicare and Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with autism.
The partnership will help NIH build a real-world data platform, enabling advanced research across claims data, electronic medical records, and wearable health-monitoring devices.
It will first focus on research around the root causes of autism and, in the long term, link data for research on other chronic conditions. The agencies said the project will comply with applicable privacy laws.
‘Pulling Back The Curtain’
“We’re pulling back the curtain, with full transparency and accountability, to deliver the honest answers families have waited far too long to hear,” US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
Researchers will focus on autism diagnosis over time, health outcomes from medical and behavioral interventions, access to care and disparities by demographics and geography as well as the economic burden on families and healthcare systems.
Autism is a neurological and developmental condition marked by disruptions in brain-signaling that cause people to behave, communicate, interact, and learn in atypical ways.
Thorough Research
Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has long promoted a debunked link between vaccines and autism.
Last month, he said environmental factors are behind its rising prevalence, adding that he plans to look at everything from mold to medicine to identify them.
Autism Diagnosis On The Rise
Rates of autism spectrum disorder among US children reached a record level in 2022, continuing a recent trend of increasing prevalence.
There are no treatments or cures for autism, nor can it be reversed. However, experts agree that early diagnosis is crucial.
Intervention with supportive measures, ideally before age three, is critical for improving cognitive, social and communication skills.
(With inputs from Reuters)
