Children With Complex Medical Conditions Carry Greater Risk of Neurodevelopmental, Mental Health Diagnoses

A study, “Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Conditions in Children with Medical Complexity,” found children with complex medical conditions were at three times greater risk of having neurodevelopmental diagnoses and two times greater risk of mental health diagnoses than children without medical complexity. The study, published in the September 2024 Pediatrics (published online Aug. 5), reviewed all-payer insurance claims data from 85,581 children with medical complexity in Colorado, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts over five years to identify neurodevelopmental and mental health diagnoses. More than 45% of children with medical complexity had one or more neurodevelopmental diagnoses and 37% had one or more mental health diagnoses, the study found. Among those children with complex medical conditions, the researchers also analyzed differences in ambulatory clinic visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and in-hospital mortality. Those diagnosed with neurodevelopmental and mental health diagnoses had higher rates of using ambulatory, emergency, and hospital-based healthcare services compared to children with medical complexity who did not have these diagnoses. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.