Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than adults without ADHD, according to a new study.
The research followed older adults in Israel over 17 years to examine if those with ADHD are at increased risk for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Michal Schnaider Beeri, director of the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at Rutgers Brain Health Institute in the United States, coauthored the study.
“By determining if adults with ADHD are at higher risk for dementia and if medications and/or lifestyle changes can affect risks, the outcomes of this research can be used to better inform caregivers and clinicians,” said Beeri.
Researchers used data from a national cohort study of more than 100,000 people who were followed from 2003 to 2020.
They analysed those with and without ADHD and the occurrence of dementia among the groups as they aged.
The study revealed the presence of adult ADHD was associated with a significantly higher risk of dementia even when other risk factors for dementia were taken into account, such as cardiovascular conditions.
Monitor symptoms
ADHD in adults may materialise as a neurological process that reduces the ability for them to compensate for the effects of cognitive decline later in life, researchers said.
“Physicians, clinicians and caregivers who work with older adults should monitor ADHD symptoms and associated medications,” said Abraham Reichenberg, a professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and senior author of the study.
The research suggests that ADHD treatment incorporating psychostimulants may help reduce the risk of dementia in adults with ADHD as they are known to modify the trajectory of cognitive impairment.
But researchers said future studies should examine in more detail the impact of medications in patients with ADHD and how they could affect risk.
“Symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity in old age shouldn’t be ignored and should be discussed with physicians,” said Stephen Levine, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
