Study links adult ADHD to higher risk of memory problems later
Adults with ADHD were more than four times as likely to develop dementia or mild memory and thinking problems later in life, a large U.S. study found. People with higher genetic risk for ADHD also faced more risk. The authors say it shows a link, not proof that ADHD causes dementia.
Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may face a much higher chance of memory and thinking problems as they age, a new study suggests.
Researchers led by the University of Pittsburgh studied health records and genetic data from 187,341 adults age 50 and older. All were part of the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program. The study was published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry.
About 1.6% of the group, or 3,026 people, had been diagnosed with ADHD, RTÉ reported. Over about seven years, 6.7% of people with ADHD were diagnosed with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. That compares with 3.4% of people without ADHD.
After accounting for age, sex and other health conditions, people with ADHD had more than four times the risk. The team also looked at each person's genetic risk for ADHD, even if they were never diagnosed. Those with the highest genetic risk had a 35% greater chance of dementia than those with the lowest, Medical Xpress reported.
"This doesn't prove that ADHD causes dementia, but seeing the same pattern show up independently in medical records and in people's genes gives us greater confidence," said senior author Dr. Tharick Pascoal of Pitt.
One worry in studies like this is that early dementia can be mistaken for ADHD. But the link held even when researchers required at least eight years between an ADHD diagnosis and the start of memory problems.
ADHD also made life with dementia harder. People with both reported worse mental health, lower quality of life and less social satisfaction. They used about 20% more health care in the year after diagnosis.
The authors called for clinical guidelines that recommend memory checks for adults with ADHD as they age. They noted that the reasons for the link "remain to be established."
Big questions remain. Researchers do not yet know whether ADHD medicines, such as stimulants, might lower dementia risk. They also want to know whether better heart health, which is tied to both conditions, could help.
ADHD affects parts of the brain that control attention, impulses and focus. It can cause problems at school, at work and in relationships.
What we know: ADHD was tied to more than four times the risk of later cognitive impairment.
What we don't: Whether treating ADHD lowers that risk.
Where outlets agree Medical Xpress and RTÉ both report 6.7% of people with ADHD developed cognitive impairment, compared with 3.4% of those without it.
Where they differ The authors call ADHD a relevant risk factor and urge monitoring, but they say the study cannot show that ADHD itself causes dementia.