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Atopic diseases linked to ADHD in children
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Children with atopic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, or eczema, and those whose parents who were exposed to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and atopic disease medications, were more susceptible to developing ADHD, according to study results.
“The increased prevalence of ADHD during the past decades is also paralleled by a worldwide increase in atopic diseases. This and other arguments may point to a link between atopic diseases and ADHD,” Jurjen van der Schans, MSc, of the department of pharmacy, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacoeconomics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and colleagues wrote. “Currently, the etiologic pathways of the possible association between atopic diseases and ADHD are still not well understood.”
The researchers utilized data from the Groningen University prescription database to analyze whether children, aged 6 to 12 years, taking ADHD medications had a higher tendency of receiving treatment for atopic diseases before initiation of those ADHD medications compared with controls.
Children prescribed methylphenidate at least twice within 12 months were classified as cases and matched to four controls based on age, sex, and regional area code. There were 4,257 cases and 17,028 matched controls identified in the retrospective cohort study.
Parents taking ADHD and atopic disease drugs were evaluated to determine the influence of ADHD medication use in their children. Parental prescription data were analyzed for relationships between cases and controls.
Results showed that cases were more likely to be treated for asthma (adjusted OR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.3-1.6), allergic rhinitis (aOR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.8) and eczema (aOR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5) compared with controls. Parents receiving medications for asthma (aOR = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.3) and allergic rhinitis (aOR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5) and ADHD (aOR = 3.8; 95% CI, 3.3-4.3) increased the risk for ADHD treatment in their offspring, suggesting a probable genetic or shared environmental factor.
“Our study provides additional evidence to support the hypothesis that atopic disorders, such as asthma, increase the risk of developing ADHD,” van der Schans and colleagues concluded. “This evidence could indicate that there is a link between atopy and ADHD or that certain patients are more prone to health care-seeking behavior and therefore more likely to receive atopy and ADHD medication.” – by Alaina Tedesco
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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