@article{ref1,
title="Does childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder predict risk-taking and medical illnesses in adulthood?",
journal="Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry",
year="2013",
author="Olazagasti, Ramos and Ramos Olazagasti, Maria A. and Klein, Rachel G. and Mannuzza, Salvatore and Belsky, Erica Roizen and Hutchison, Jesse A. and Lashua-Shriftman, Erin C. and Castellanos, F. Xavier",
volume="52",
number="2",
pages="153-153",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To test whether children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), free of conduct disorder (CD) in childhood (mean = 8 years), have elevated risk-taking, accidents, and medical illnesses in adulthood (mean = 41 years); whether development of CD influences risk-taking during adulthood; and whether exposure to psychostimulants in childhood predicts cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized positive relationships between childhood ADHD and risky driving (in the past 5 years), risky sex (in the past year), and between risk-taking and medical conditions in adulthood; and that development of CD/antisocial personality (APD) would account for the link between ADHD and risk-taking. We report causes of death. <br><br>METHOD: Prospective 33-year follow-up of 135 boys of white ethnicity with ADHD in childhood and without CD (probands), and 136 matched male comparison subjects without ADHD (comparison subjects; mean = 41 years), blindly interviewed by clinicians. <br><br>RESULTS: In adulthood, probands had relatively more risky driving, sexually transmitted disease, head injury, and emergency department admissions (p less than 0.05-0.01). Groups did not differ on other medical outcomes. Lifetime risk-taking was associated with negative health outcomes (p = 0.01-0.001). Development of CD/APD accounted for the relationship between ADHD and risk-taking. Probands without CD/APD did not differ from comparison subjects in lifetime risky behaviors. Psychostimulant treatment did not predict cardiac illness (p = 0.55). Probands had more deaths not related to specific medical conditions (p = 0.01). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Overall, among children with ADHD, it is those who develop CD/APD who have elevated risky behaviors as adults. Over their lifetime, those who did not develop CD/APD did not differ from comparison subjects in risk-taking behaviors. <br><br>FINDINGS also provide support for long-term safety of early psychostimulant treatment.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0890-8567",
doi="10.1016/j.jaac.2012.11.012",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.11.012"
}