ADHD drugs do not increase heart problems in kids

Stimulants used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder do not increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes or sudden death, U.S. researchers said on Monday, in a finding that should reassure millions of parents whose children take the drugs.

Researchers studied the medical records of more than 1 million children and young adults aged 2 to 24 who were taking or had taken stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall and found no sign of increased risk of heart problems.

"We don't see any evidence of increased risk," said Dr. William Cooper of Vanderbilt University, whose study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study in children is the first of three commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration to understand the potential heart risks of the drugs after U.S. and Canadian regulators received a number of reports in 2006 of heart attacks, strokes and sudden cardiac arrest in children taking the medications.

The reports prompted several FDA advisory committee hearings on heart problems, and Health Canada temporarily suspended marketing of ADHD drugs.

The concerns also prompted the American Heart Association to issue guidelines suggesting that children who were just starting to take the drugs should be tested for potential underlying heart problems.

"There was a lot of concern and confusion among families and providers about what the best approach would be to treating kids who had ADHD and who might benefit from these medicines," Cooper said by phone.

COMMON CHILD DISORDER

ADHD is one of the most common child mental disorders, affecting around 3 to 5 percent of children globally.

Children with ADHD are excessively restless, impulsive and easily distracted, and often have trouble at home and in school. There is no cure, but the symptoms can be kept in check by a combination of behavioral therapy and medication.

Heart disease is not a major cause of death among children and teenagers, but it is the largest cause of death among adults in the United States. In fact, someone in America dies every 37 seconds from some form of cardiovascular disease.

Thanks to many studies and thousands of patients, researchers have found certain factors that play an important role in a person's chances of developing heart disease. These are called risk factors. Some risk factors can be changed, treated, or modified, and some cannot.

Most of the risk factors that affect children can be controlled early in life, lowering the risk of heart disease later in life. Other risk factors are usually passed down through family members (they are hereditary) or they are the result of another illness or disease. These risk factors usually can be controlled. Congenital heart disease (heart defects you are born with) cannot be changed, but better tests and treatments are now available for children with these types of heart problems.