kids taking drugs for controlling attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are more at risk of heart problems that children taking ADHD Drugs, a new study concludes.
"ADHD drugs can increase heart rate and blood pressure, which could increase the risk of cardiovascular outcomes," said principal investigator Sean Hennessy, Assistant Professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of medicine in Philadelphia.
But this study, comparing the ADHD drug users non-users, found no difference in the frequency of deaths between groups or cardiac problems, Hennessy said.
The findings should reassure parents that drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall are not related to an increased risk of cardiovascular events, said Hennessy. However, the study cannot put to rest all fears, said an expert.
Dr. Steven Lipshultz, Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of medicine, does not believe that this study has settled the debate because it fails to take children into account problems of existing heart.
"This in no way said that, in children with underlying disease, drugs are safe or unsafe," he said.
Concerns that ADHD Drugs could increase the risk of heart problems, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2007 headed for ADHD drug manufacturers to produce a guide to drugs that would alert physicians and parents and patients at risk.
Hennessy said there were a few anecdotal reports of death, heart attack and stroke in children taking ADHD medications. "However, given the millions of children with these drugs, it is not surprising that some events would be reported," he said.
In the new study, "there is no validated cases of heart attack or stroke in children with ADHD medication," he said. "There is that a handful of cases of sudden death in children with ADHD Drugs and risks were not statistically higher than in the group not to take these drugs."
In a secondary analysis, other researchers and he reported "statistically high" associations between principal diagnosis, sudden death and ventricular arrhythmias on medical applications and the use of Atomoxetine (Strattera) methylphenidate (Ritalin, other) and "any medicine ADHD" in children and adolescents who have distributed to users.
However, due to the low rate of subjects that have been correctly diagnosed on the main assessment, researchers wrote that these results seem to be "not reliable in this age group."
About 9.5% of the children of the U.S. have parent-reported ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The neuro condition is characterized by inattention and hyperactivity which begins in childhood and often interferes with school, family life and social relations.
The report is published online on May 16 in Pediatrics.
The study, the Hennessy team used two databases to collect data on 241,417 children aged 3 to 17 years taking an amphetamine like Adderall, Strattera, or methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) for ADHD.
In 2007, almost 5% of children aged 4 to 17 years one of these drugs, prescribed the CDC reported.
The researchers compared the incidence of sudden cardiac death, abnormal heart rhythm and death of all other causes among children with these events in 965,668 children rates do step ADHD medication.
After each case has been validated with the assistance of outside experts and some decided to be classified incorrectly, the researchers found no statistical difference for one of these events, including stroke, between two groups of children. In addition, none of the children on ADHD drugs proved have suffered a heart attack, and no features were related to the ADHD drug exposure.
The study was funded by pharmaceutical giant Irish County, which makes add/ADHD medication Vyvanse, Adderall XR and others.
Commenting on the findings, Lipshultz said, "I believe that this industry-sponsored study has the potential to be misunderstood".
"This study is able to look carefully at the where are the main concerns", he added.
The study does not specifically separate these children with heart disease other Lipshultz said, adding that the greatest concern of the FDA has been with the use of these drugs in patients with underlying disease. In fact, drugs may be contraindicated for these children, he said.
These drugs are a great benefit for children with ADHD, said Lipshultz. "However, he y still safety concerns regarding the use of therapy increasing in children, especially children with health disorders, underlying" he said.
The authors themselves wrote that, because it is so little of cardiovascular events occurred in the study group, it was not possible to permanently exclude an association between drugs for ADHD and an increase in the rate of heart problems.
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