ADHD Drugs May Up Risk of Heart Problems in Kids, Study Finds
ADHD Drugs May Up Risk of Heart Problems in Kids, Study Finds
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Whether drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder boost the risk of heart conditions in children remains a subject of concern. Now, research from Denmark suggests medications such as Ritalin and Concerta make rare cardiac problems twice as likely, although still uncommon.
"The risk of adverse cardiac effects of ADHD medication is real and should not be forgotten," said study lead author Dr. Soren Dalsgaard, an associate professor at Aarhus University.
However, doctors and parents should not be alarmed and take kids off stimulant medication if they have benefits from it and no cardiac symptoms, he said. "But we should continue to monitor cardiovascular status," he added.
The findings aren't definitive because they don't prove cause-and-effect and they seem to conflict with some previous research that looked at fewer heart conditions over shorter periods of time.
The inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity associated with ADHD can make it hard for children with the disorder to learn and socialize. Stimulant drugs taken on a daily basis can help control these behaviors.
Worldwide, the number of children and teens with ADHD who take stimulant medications is increasing, according to background research in the study. Experts say these drugs can boost heart rate and blood pressure.
"The most common cardiac effects are benign -- very small, clinically insignificant increases in heart rate or blood pressure," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park.
Alarms sounded because of reports of sudden deaths, heart attack and stroke related to ADHD drugs, which has led some physicians to assess heart health before starting young people on the drugs.
But a 2011 study of U.S. children and young adults published in the New England Journal of Medicine found no link between ADHD drugs and heart attacks, sudden death and stroke. And in 2012, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no sign of a link in young and middle-aged adults either.
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Whether drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder boost the risk of heart conditions in children remains a subject of concern. Now, research from Denmark suggests medications such as Ritalin and Concerta make rare cardiac problems twice as likely, although still uncommon.
"The risk of adverse cardiac effects of ADHD medication is real and should not be forgotten," said study lead author Dr. Soren Dalsgaard, an associate professor at Aarhus University.
However, doctors and parents should not be alarmed and take kids off stimulant medication if they have benefits from it and no cardiac symptoms, he said. "But we should continue to monitor cardiovascular status," he added.
The findings aren't definitive because they don't prove cause-and-effect and they seem to conflict with some previous research that looked at fewer heart conditions over shorter periods of time.
The inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity associated with ADHD can make it hard for children with the disorder to learn and socialize. Stimulant drugs taken on a daily basis can help control these behaviors.
Worldwide, the number of children and teens with ADHD who take stimulant medications is increasing, according to background research in the study. Experts say these drugs can boost heart rate and blood pressure.
"The most common cardiac effects are benign -- very small, clinically insignificant increases in heart rate or blood pressure," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park.
Alarms sounded because of reports of sudden deaths, heart attack and stroke related to ADHD drugs, which has led some physicians to assess heart health before starting young people on the drugs.
But a 2011 study of U.S. children and young adults published in the New England Journal of Medicine found no link between ADHD drugs and heart attacks, sudden death and stroke. And in 2012, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no sign of a link in young and middle-aged adults either.
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