Attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder pre-adulthood and later adverse health outcomes: The 1987 Finnish birth cohort study

TL;DR

This study finds that children diagnosed with ADHD are at higher risk for various mental health and neurological issues later in life, but not for physical health problems.

Contribution

The study uses a nationwide cohort to show ADHD's long-term associations with specific health outcomes, adjusting for socioeconomic factors.

Findings

ADHD diagnosis in childhood is linked to increased risk of mood, neurotic, and substance abuse disorders in adulthood.

ADHD is associated with a higher risk of epilepsy and poisoning in later life.

No significant link was found between ADHD and somatic disorders after adjusting for confounding factors.

Abstract

Whereas attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is correlated with later risk of depression, anxiety, and substance misuse, the relationship with other health endpoints is uncertain. In a full-nation birth cohort study, we used a phenotype-wide approach to explore the influence of an ADHD diagnosis in childhood/adolescence with later disease and injury. Comprising 53147 (25731 female) children born in a single year, the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort was generated from linkage of routinely collected data. Using international classification disease codes, ADHD diagnosis was captured from in- and out-patient hospital records up to age 18 years and study members continued to be surveilled for other diagnoses until 2020 (aged 33 years). In logistic regression analyses, effect estimates were adjusted for education achievement, family socioeconomic status, and multiple comparisons. Pre-adulthood, 0.43% (N = 228) of study members were diagnosed with ADHD. In people with ADHD relative to population controls, there was a heightened risk of developing all 17 specific health endpoints examined. Of these, only 5 reached statistical significance after correction for socioeconomic status, education, and multiple comparison (odds ratio; 99.7%): substance abuse disorders (2.27; 1.28, 3.81), mood disorders (2.46; 1.50, 3.90), neurotic disorders (2.12; 1.25, 3.43), epilepsy (4.65; 1.86, 9.75), and poisoning (2.30; 1.02, 4.51). In the present study, children and adolescents with ADHD had an increased future burden of psychological and neurological conditions but not somatic disorders.

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