Aim: To compare mortality rates for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease between adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and the general population.

Method: A cohort study was conducted using data from adults with CP in England, identified through a primary care dataset (the Clinical Practice Research Datalink), with linked data on death registrations from the Office for National Statistics. Cause of death was categorised according to ICD codes. Standardised mortality ratios were calculated to compare mortality rates between adults with CP and the general population, adjusted for age, sex, and calendar-year.

Results: 958 adults with CP were identified (median age at start of follow-up 31 yr; 52.5% males) and followed for a total of 7693 person-years. 142 patients (15%) died during follow-up. Adults with CP had an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease (SMR: 3.19, 95% CI 2.20 to 4.62) and respiratory disease (SMR: 13.59, 95% CI to 18.67), but not from malignant neoplasms (SMR: 1.42, 95% CI 0.83 to 2.45).

Interpretation: We found that adults with CP in England have increased risk of death due to diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems, supporting findings from two studies that compared cause-specific mortality rates between adults with CP in the US and the general population. Further research is required into primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular and respiratory disease in people with CP worldwide.