Objective: This study aimed to compare the incidence of non-communicable diseases between adults with and without cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: A cohort study was conducted using primary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Cox models, stratified by matched set and adjusted for potential confounders, were fitted to compare the risk of any non-communicable disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease between adults with and without CP.

Results: The analysis included 1,705 adults with CP and 5,115 age-, sex-, and general practice matched adults without CP. There was evidence from adjusted analyses that adults with CP had 75% increased risk of developing any non-communicable disease compared to adults without CP (HR: 1·75, 95% CI 1·58 to 1·94). Specifically, they had increased risk of cardiovascular disease (HR: 1.76, 95% CI 1.48 to 2.11) and respiratory disease (HR: 2.61, 95% CI 2.14 to 3.19). There was no evidence of increased risk of cancer or type 2 diabetes.

Conclusions: Adults with CP had increased risk of non-communicable disease, specifically cardiovascular and respiratory disease. These findings highlight the need for clinical vigilance regarding identification of non-communicable disease in people with CP, and further research into the etiology and management of non-communicable disease in this population.