There has been a dramatic increase in the life expectancy of people with a learning disability in the past 30 years but evidence suggests that health problems are still not being identified. The case study described here by Lynne Marsh and Elaine Drummond shows how health needs can be assessed and addressed

A growing body of evidence suggests that people with intellectual disabilities are experiencing significant health inequalities when compared with their peers in the general population (Cassidy et al 2002, Kerr 2004, Melville et al 2006). Furthermore, Martin et al (2004), Martin (2005) and Jenkins and Davies (2006) identify that people with learning disabilities are two-and-a-half times more likely to have common health problems than their non-disabled peers. Indeed, higher incidences of cardiac disorders (Lunsky et al 2003), diabetes (Lennox et al 2006), mental health problems (Strydom et al 2005), hearing and visual impairments (Bosch 2003), obesity (Marshall et al 2003) and skin disorders (Allan 1999) have all been documented in this population group.