Katelyn Junghans - Department of Geriatric Medicine
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactive disorders have become increasingly common in recent years with concerns about long-term comorbidities continuing to rise. People with adult ADHD have an increased risk of 6 dementia risk factors: depression, midlife hypertension, smoking, type 2 diabetes, lower education levels, and decreased physical activity. The overlap in dementia risk factors and common health outcomes of adult ADHD warrants further investigation.
Meuhedet Healthcare Services conducted a prospective birth cohort study to explore the relationship between adults with ADHD and rates of dementia within a 17.2-year period. Upon completion of the study, a 2.77-fold increase in the risk of developing dementia was associated with patients with adult ADHD. Theories of correlation include the limited ability of patients with ADHD to compensate for age-related neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular processes. Psychostimulant treatment for ADHD lacked an association with an increase in the prevalence of dementia. This phenomenon calls for investigation into the benefits and risks of treating adult ADHD, and a deeper understanding of the potential cognitive benefits of psychostimulant treatment.
Future research is needed to confirm and explain the relationship between ADHD and dementia. As the research evolves, patients can monitor symptoms for signs of new cognitive impairment and inform health providers of any noticeable changes given the potential link between adult ADHD and dementia.
References:
Levine, S. Z., Rotstein, A., Kodesh, A., Sandin, S., Lee, B. K., Weinstein, G., Schnaider Beeri, M., & Reichenberg, A. (2023). Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Risk of Dementia. JAMA network open, 6(10), e2338088. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.38088
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