ADHD medications linked with higher risk of heart disease

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-11-23 03:00

International

Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash

Prolonged use of medications to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could increase the risk of heart disease, according to international research. The researchers used Swedish health data to compare the rate of heart disease between people diagnosed and subsequently medicated for ADHD and those who were not taking ADHD medication. The researchers say across 14 years of follow-up, every year of use of ADHD medication was associated with a 4% increased risk of heart disease. The researchers say this highlights the importance of weighing up the risks and benefits when making decisions about ADHD treatment, and those on the medications should pay additional attention to their heart health.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Psychiatry

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Funder: This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council for Health,Working Life, andWelfare (2019-01172 and 2022-01111) (Dr Chang) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement 965381 (Dr Larsson).

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.