ABSTRACT
In the 1930s the average life expectancy of people with intellectual disability was around 20 years. By 2002, it had risen but still remains lower than general life expec tancy - five years lower for those with mild intellectual disability and 20 years lower for those with severe intellectual disability. People with intellectual disability are 58 times more likely than the general population to die before the age of 50 years, with respiratory failure being the most common recorded cause of death. Premature death is associated with: > increasing severity of intellectual disability > general markers of physical disability and debility > epilepsy > cerebral palsy > Down syndrome.
