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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - Risk Factors

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ADHD.

Risk Factors:

Gender and ADHD

ADHD is most often diagnosed in boys. However, there is some evidence that it is underdiagnosed in girls. Until recently, all major studies were conducted using boys as subjects. More studies on girls with ADHD are now underway. A major study reported that girls with the condition experience the same multiple impairments as boys do.

Family History

ADHD tends to run in families. A child who has a parent or sibling with ADHD has an increased risk of also developing ADHD.

Environmental Factors

Some research suggests that prenatal exposure to tobacco and alcohol may increase the risk for ADHD. Environmental lead exposure before age 6 may also raise the risk for ADHD.

Dietary Factors

Several dietary factors have been researched in association with ADHD, including sensitivities to certain food chemicals, deficiencies in fatty acids (compounds that make up fats and oils) and zinc, and sensitivity to sugar. No clear evidence has emerged, however, that implicates any of these nutritional factors as risk factors for developing ADHD.

Resources

www.aap.org -- American Academy of Pediatrics
www.nimh.nih.gov -- National Institute of Mental Health
www.chadd.org -- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Disorder
www.add.org -- Attention Deficit Disorder Association
www.aabt.org -- Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
www.psych.org -- American Psychiatric Association
www.parentsmedguide.org -- Medication Guide for Treating ADHD
www.aacap.org -- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
www.nichcy.org -- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
www.ncld.org -- National Center for Learning Disabilities
www.ldaamerica.org -- Learning Disabilities Association of America

References

Biederman J, Melmed RD, Patel A, McBurnett K, Konow J, Lyne A, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of guanfacine extended release in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics. 2008 Jan;121(1):e73-84.

Braun JM, Kahn RS, Froehlich T, Auinger P, Lanphear BP. Exposures to environmental toxicants and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in U.S. children. Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Dec;114(12):1904-9.

Hamilton SS, Armando J. Oppositional defiant disorder. Am Fam Physician. 2008 Oct 1;78(7):861-6.

Heinrich H, Gevensleben H, Strehl U. Annotation: neurofeedback - train your brain to train behaviour. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2007 Jan;48(1):3-16.

Jensen PS, Arnold LE, Swanson JM, et al. 3-year follow-up of the NIMH MTA study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Aug;46(8):989-1002.

Millichap JG. Etiologic classification of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics. 2008 Feb;121(2):e358-65.

Nigg JT, Breslau N. Prenatal smoking exposure, low birth weight, and disruptive behavior disorders. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Mar;46(3):362-9.

Perrin JM, Friedman RA, Knilans TK; Black Box Working Group; Section on Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. Cardiovascular monitoring and stimulant drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics. 2008 Aug;122(2):451-3.

Pliszka S; AACAP Work Group on Quality Issues. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;46(7):894-921.

Steiner H, Remsing L; Work Group on Quality Issues. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Jan;46(1):126-41.

Swanson JM, Elliott GR, Greenhill LL, et al. Effects of stimulant medication on growth rates across 3 years in the MTA follow-up. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Aug;46(8):1015-27.

Valera EM, Faraone SV, Murray KE, Seidman LJ. Meta-analysis of structural imaging findings in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatry. 2007 Jun 15;61(12):1361-9. Epub 2006 Sep 1.

Vetter VL, Elia J, Erickson C, Berger S, Blum N, Uzark K, et al. Cardiovascular monitoring of children and adolescents with heart disease receiving stimulant drugs: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young Congenital Cardiac Defects Committee and the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing. Circulation. 2008 May 6;117(18):2407-23. Epub 2008 Apr 21.

Weber W, Vander Stoep A, McCarty RL, Weiss NS, Biederman J, McClellan J. Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008 Jun 11;299(22):2633-41.

Wilens TE, Upadhyaya HP. Impact of substance use disorder on ADHD and its treatment. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 Aug;68(8):e20.

Williams JH, Ross L. Consequences of prenatal toxin exposure for mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Jun;16(4):243-53. Epub 2007 Jan 2.

Reviewed last on: 1/22/2009
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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