Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

According to a new recommendation from the American Heart Association, children who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram (EKG) before they are prescribed drugs such as Ritalin.

Drugs used to treat ADHD are stimulants, having the potential to increase both heart rate and blood pressure. In children with heart conditions, ADHD drugs could potentially make them more vulnerable to cardiac arrest and other heart problems. A Food and Drug Administration review of its own FDA databases found reports of 19 sudden deaths in children treated with ADHD drugs and 26 reports of other problems including strokes and rapid heart rates between 1999 and 2003.

The Cleveland Clinic estimates that the annual rate of sudden cardiac deaths among the approximately 2.5 million children in the US who take medication for ADHD is approximately one to two children per 100,000.

Prior to prescribing ADHD medication, the AHA now recommends that doctors screen children for any personal or family history of heart problems, and perform a thorough heart exam including an EKG. The AHA also recommends testing for children already taking ADHD drugs. Such testing can help identify any previously undiagnosed heart issues and detect abnormal heart rhythms that may lead to a sudden heart attack.

ADHD medications now have labels to warn patients of the possible risks to individuals who have heart defects or other heart problems.

Questions your doctor should ask in a heart screening exam:

• Has your child ever fainted during exercise or similar physical activity?

It used to be said that children would outgrow Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We now know that is not true; that ADHD follows the person into adult hood. Adult ADHD has a major impact on the person’s ability to retain jobs, maintain social relationships, and remain financially solvent.

So, was the ‘old wives’ tale not true? It seems that growing out of ADHD has a partial truth. Scientists have now found a gene among 1/3 of those with child hood ADHD.

Is it hard for your child to sit still? Does your child act without thinking first? Does your child start but not finish things? If so, your child may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD for short.) Nearly everyone shows some of these behaviors at times, but ADHD lasts more than 6 months and causes problems in school, at home and in social situations.

ADHD is more common in boys than girls, and it affects 3-5 percent of children in the United States. The principal characteristics of ADHD are

Coaching, use of daily organizers, and other psychosocial treatments may be of great value to people with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to Carol E. Watkins, M.D., of Northern Country Psychiatric Associates in Baltimore. Dr. Watkins presented her ideas at the U.S. Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress held in New Orleans in mid-November, 2006.

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WASHINGTON — A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Thursday narrowly voted to recommend putting the strongest type of warning possible on widely prescribed stimulant drugs for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
 
The FDA had asked the committee to consider what types of studies could be used to look at whether the drugs, which include Ritalin, Adderall, Focalin, Methylin, Metadate and Concerta, increase the risk of sudden death, heart attacks or strokes.