In a new study from Karolinska Institutet, researchers found adults with ADHD are at higher risk of a wide range of physical conditions, including nervous system, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases
ADHD is a common neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity, and commonly treated with stimulant therapy (methylphenidates or amphetamines).
Previous studies suggest increased risk for a number of physical health conditions in adults with ADHD, but only a limited number of these associations have been thoroughly researched.
Moreover, detailed treatment guidelines for adults with ADHD and co-occurring physical disease are largely lacking.
In the study, the team examined possible associations between ADHD and a wide range of physical diseases in adulthood, and whether genetic or environmental factors are involved.
Over four million individuals (full-sibling and maternal half-sibling pairs) born between 1932–1995 were identified through Swedish registers and followed between 1973–2013.
The researchers examined the risk of 35 different physical conditions in individuals with ADHD compared to those without, and in siblings of individuals with ADHD compared to siblings of those without.
They found people with ADHD had a strongly increased risk of all studied physical conditions except arthritis. The strongest associations were found for nervous system, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases.
The diagnoses most strongly linked to ADHD were alcohol-related liver disease, sleep disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), epilepsy, fatty liver disease and obesity.
ADHD was also linked to a slightly increased risk of heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
These results are important because stimulant therapy requires careful monitoring in ADHD patients with co-occurring cardiac disease, hypertension and liver failure.
The increased risk was largely explained by underlying genetic factors that contributed both to ADHD and the physical disease, with the exception of nervous system disorders and age-related diseases.
Full siblings of individuals with ADHD had significantly increased risk for most physical conditions.
The researchers now aim to study the underlying mechanisms and risk factors as well as the impact of ADHD on management and prognosis of physical diseases in adults.
If you care about ADHD, please read studies about ADHD is related to these unhealthy diets and findings of people with high ADHD-traits are more vulnerable to this sleep problem.
For more information about ADHD and your health, please see recent studies about how to make ADHD less stressful on the family and results showing that micronutrient supplement may help treat ADHD.
The study is published in The Lancet Psychiatry. One author of the study is Ebba Du Rietz.
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