Comorbidity

​SICK, SICK, SICK
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The definition of comorbidity taken from the medical dictionary is this: The presence of co-existing or additional diseases with reference to an initial diagnosis or with reference to the index condition that is the subject of study. 

Comorbidity is one term to understand when your child gets any diagnosis. The knowledge of this term mentally prepares you if by chance your child receives another diagnosis. Example, after you get a first diagnosis from a doctor and you take time to read all you can about it. The symptoms, prognosis, treatments you study and understand it. We have all been there, your head is spinning at all this new information. Maybe at the next appointment another diagnosis is a result from the first diagnosis and now your child with yet another medical condition.  Bam, you now have comorbid conditions or more than one diagnosis. 

Allie is on the autism spectrum disorder or ASD. Below are the conditions that occur with her rare form of epilepsy called PCDH19.  In her case ASD was diagnosed before the PCDH19 was diagnosed. Today, we understand that the PCDH19 is her primary diagnosis. 

• Seizures
• Anxiety
• Sleep problems
• Intellectual disability
• Developmental delays
• Immune disorder
• Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Sensory sensitivities
• Low muscle tone 

​Despite all that she lives with, she leads a very active and happy life.