Citation

Iverson GL, Atkins JE, Zafonte RD, Berkner PD. J. Neurotrauma 2014; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Harvard Medical School, Physical medicine and Rehabilitation , 125 Nashua Street , Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114 , 617-573-2754 , Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States, Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, MassGeneral Hospital for Children Sport Concussion Program, MA, Massachusetts, United States ; giverson@partners.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2014.3424

PMID

25375785

Abstract

Little is known about the rate of concussions in adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We hypothesized that high school athletes with ADHD would report a greater history of concussion than students without ADHD. 6,529 adolescent and young adult student athletes, between the ages of 13 and 19 (M=15.9, SD=1.3 years), completed a preseason health survey in 2010. Of those with ADHD, 26.1% reported a history of one or more concussions compared to 17.1% of those without ADHD (p<.00001; OR=1.71). Stratified by gender, 27.0% of boys with ADHD reported a history of one or more concussions compared to 20.0% of boys without ADHD (p<.004; OR=1.48), and 23.6% of girls with ADHD reported a history of one or more concussions compared to 13.6% of girls without ADHD (p<.003; OR=1.97). Of those with ADHD, 9.8% reported a history of two or more concussions compared to 5.5% of those without ADHD (p<.0003; OR=1.87). Stratified by gender, 10.0% of boys with ADHD reported a history of two or more concussions compared to 6.7% of boys without ADHD (p<.033; OR=1.54), and 9.1% of girls with ADHD reported a history of two or more concussions compared to 3.8% of girls without ADHD (p<.006; OR=2.51). In this large-scale, retrospective survey study, boys and girls with ADHD were significantly more likely to report a history of concussion. Additional research is needed to determine if students with ADHD are more susceptible to injury (i.e., have a lower threshold) or have different recovery trajectories.

Language: en