TOPLINE:

Higher levels of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits in childhood were associated with a higher probability of physical multimorbidity by the age of 46 years, with women experiencing greater physical health-related disability than men, a new cohort study showed.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers assessed nearly 11,000 patients aged 46 years and with ADHD (51% women; 97% White individuals) from the 1970 British Cohort Study.
• ADHD traits were assessed using parent and teacher responses to child behavior questionnaires when patients were 10 years old. Physical health conditions were self-reported between the ages of 26 and 46 years.
• The primary outcome was physical multimorbidity, and secondary outcomes included the number of health problems and physical health-related disability.

TAKEAWAY:

• Higher levels of ADHD traits during childhood were associated with greater odds of physical multimorbidity (odds ratio, 1.14; P < .001) and increased rates of multimorbidity (hazard ratio, 1.12; P < .001) by the age of 46 years.
• ADHD traits were also linked to a greater number of health problems and increased physical health-related disability at the age of 46 years (P < .001 for both).
• Both women and men had a significant link between ADHD traits and physical health-related disability (P < .001 for both), but the association was stronger in women.
• ADHD was indirectly associated with multimorbidity through smoking (P = .02), psychological distress (P < .001), and BMI (P < .001), and was indirectly associated with health-related disability through these same three risk factors (P < .001 for all).

IN PRACTICE:

“Here, we have added to the concerning evidence base that people with ADHD are more likely to experience worse health than average across their lifespan,” lead investigator Joshua Stott, PhD, University College London, London, England, said in a press release. 

“People with ADHD can thrive with the right support, but this is often lacking, both due to a shortage of tailored support services but also because ADHD remains underdiagnosed, particularly in people in midlife and older, with needs unaddressed,” Stott added.

SOURCE:

The study was published online on January 21 in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS:

The study relied on self-reported health conditions, which may have introduced reporting or recall biases. The measure of multimorbidity included only nine physical health conditions, potentially missing other important conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Additionally, substantial attrition occurred, with participants who had high levels of ADHD traits, greater physical disability, and greater social disadvantage being more likely to drop out, potentially leading to an underestimation of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Medical Research Foundation. Several investigators reported having financial ties with various sources, which are fully listed in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.