2024-01-03 08:38:34
France — French (Inserm, University of Bordeaux, Charles Perrens Hospital), Canadian, British and Swedish researchers have shown that attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD) is linked to physical health problems. Professor Cédric Galéra, child psychiatrist and epidemiologist, explains these results to Medscape.
ADHD-physical comorbidities: a reciprocal association
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood and is characterized by high levels of inattention, and/or agitation and impulsivity.
Some work had highlighted a link between ADHD and medical comorbidities, but these studies were carried out on small samples of patients and they were cross-sectional studies.
A new study, longitudinal this time, published in Lancet child and adolescent healthwas able to highlight a reciprocal link between ADHD and physical health problems.
Researchers performed statistical analyzes to measure the associations between having ADHD symptoms and developing certain later physical disorders, and conversely, between having physical problems during childhood and developing then subsequent ADHD symptoms.
Quebec cohort of 2000 children
The study was carried out by the team of Professor Cédric Galéra, child psychiatrist and epidemiologist at the Bordeaux Population Health Research Center (Inserm/University of Bordeaux) and at the Charles Perrens hospital, in collaboration with British teams , Swedish and Canadian. “We studied a Quebec cohort of 2,000 children, aged 5 months to 17 years,” explains Professor Galéra.
“The Quebec colleagues sent interviewers to the families’ homes to question the parents. And from adolescence, when young people were able to respond, they became respondents in their turn,” he explains.
The children were assessed on the severity of any ADHD symptoms they presented as well as their physical state (general health, possible illnesses, etc.).
Greater risk of dental caries, excess weight and trauma
“We were thus able to show links between ADHD in childhood and physical health problems in adolescence. In particular, there is a greater risk of dental caries, infections, trauma, injuries, sleep problems and being overweight.
By taking into account socio-economic status and emotional problems such as anxiety-depression or drug treatments, we observed that dental caries, injuries, overweight and restless legs syndrome persisted,” explains Prof. Galera.
In particular, there is a greater risk of dental caries, infections, trauma, injuries, sleep problems and being overweight.
On the other hand, researchers noticed that certain physical health problems in childhood were linked to the occurrence of ADHD later. “We found that early childhood asthma, trauma, sleep problems, epilepsy and being overweight were associated with ADHD. Taking into account all the characteristics mentioned above, it was only injuries and trauma as well as restless legs syndrome that were associated with ADHD,” he adds.
For him, what the study provides is “the direction of associations between physical problems and ADHD and the links over time”.
“This highlights the link between physical health and mental health. It is important that all health stakeholders are sensitive to this: psychiatrists and mental health professionals must be vigilant to the risks linked to physical health and conversely, pediatricians and general practitioners must be attentive to the fact that children may present physical problems that will later be linked to ADHD. Everyone must be able to direct their colleagues towards better care of young people,” he believes.
The team will continue to study this cohort to see the disorders that emerge in adulthood and they also wish to study the Elfe cohort in France (French longitudinal study since childhood).
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