Thursday, March 28, 2024
News

Adult ADHD linked to elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases: Study

   SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend    Print this Page   COMMENT

Washington | September 20, 2022 8:33:14 PM IST
Adults with ADHD are at greater risk of developing a range of cardiovascular diseases than those without the condition, according to a large observational study.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, with a global prevalence of around 2.5 percent in adults. It often exists in parallel with other psychiatric and physical conditions, some of which have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But whether ADHD is independently associated with overall and specific cardiovascular diseases has not received as much attention.

In the current study, the researchers sought to unmask the correlation between ADHD and some 20 different cardiovascular diseases when separated from other known risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, smoking, sleep problems and mental disorders.

"We found that adults with ADHD were more than twice as likely to develop at least one cardiovascular disease, compared with those without ADHD," says the study's first author Lin Li, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet. "When we accounted for other well-established risk factors for CVDs, the association weakened but still remained significant, which indicates that ADHD is an independent risk factor for a wide range of cardiovascular diseases."

The findings build on national registry data of more than five million Swedish adults, including some 37,000 people with ADHD. After an average 11.8 years of follow-up, 38 percent of individuals with ADHD had at least one diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, compared with 24 percent of those without ADHD.

Risks were elevated for all types of cardiovascular diseases and especially high for cardiac arrest, hemorrhagic stroke and peripheral vascular diseases. The association was somewhat stronger in men than in women. Some psychiatric comorbidities, especially eating and substance use disorders, significantly increased the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with ADHD. Treatment with stimulants and other psychiatric drugs, such as antidepressants and anxiety-reducing medication, did not materially affect the association between ADHD and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers note that due to the observational nature of the study, the findings cannot establish a causal relationship.

"Clinicians needs to carefully consider psychiatric comorbidity and lifestyle factors to help reduce the CVD risk in individuals with ADHD, but we also need more research to explore plausible biological mechanisms, such as shared genetic components for ADHD and cardiovascular disease," says the study's last author Henrik Larsson, professor at the School of Medical Sciences, Orebro University, and affiliated researcher at Karolinska Institutet. (ANI)

 
  LATEST COMMENTS (0)
POST YOUR COMMENT
Comments Not Available
 
POST YOUR COMMENT
 
 
TRENDING TOPICS
 
 
CITY NEWS
MORE CITIES
 
 
 
MORE HEALTH NEWS
Study finds how childhood sedentariness ...
Longer genes are associated with ageing...
Dr. Dangs Lab aims to revolutionise heal...
Researchers find ways to reduce side eff...
Study gives insight into role of specifi...
Collaborative study between bariatric, t...
More...
 
INDIA WORLD ASIA
'Congress will win all 6 seats in by-ele...
BJP candidates file nomination from Kazi...
Mumbai: Fire breaks out in Bombay Talkie...
BJP shows concern for people only during...
'Don't have that kind of money to contes...
BJP appoints CR Kesavan as national spok...
More...    
 
 Top Stories
EC-Council Renews USD 3.5 Million C... 
Dominant Jannik Sinner notches win ... 
Taiwan detects 2 Chinese military a... 
TMC's Mahua Moitra to skip ED summo... 
Introduction of T+0 rolling settlem... 
The Art of Living upgrades its Beng... 
Rishabh Pant set to play his 100th ... 
BD India Launches UltraTouch; a New...