This CENtral Sensitivity Syndromes and the Autism Spectrum (CENSSAS) study is a research project exploring possible associations between Central Sensitivity Syndromes (CSS)and autism. CSS are a group of related chronic conditions including fibromyalgia (FMS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), migraine, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and several others that are all thought to include an underlying sensitisation of the central nervous system (Yunus, 2008). The project aims to raise awareness of co-occurring conditions and explore the lived experience of autistic people affected by chronic illness.
This part of the CENSSAS study analysed data collected through the Netherlands Autism Register in 2019 and explored whether CSS symptoms were common in autistic adults, and what role sensory sensitivity, sex and mental health might play in any association. We found that 21% of 982 autistic adults had a CSS diagnosis, and 60% scored at or above the clinical cut-off for a CSS on a CSS questionnaire. Nonbinary and cis female autistic people had more CSS diagnoses and symptoms than cis males. Age, anxiety and sensory sensitivity were all significantly associated with CSS symptoms. These results suggest that autistic people, particularly autistic women, may be more likely to have a co-morbid central sensitivity syndrome. The speaker will talk about the implications of these results.