Adults with ADHD are more likely to get dementia: Study

WASHINGTON: A Rutgers study found that adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are around three times more likely to develop dementia than those without the disease. Michal Schnaider Beeri, co-author of the study and head of the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Research Centre at Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI), had the study accepted for publication in JAMA Network Open. It tracked more than 100,000 senior citizens in Israel over a 17-year period to determine whether persons with ADHD are more likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

Although ADHD affects more than 3 per cent of adults in the United States, little is known about this demographic. "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, the Krieger Klein Endowed Chair in Neurodegeneration Research at BHI and a faculty member of the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.

Using data from a national cohort study of more than 100,000 people who were followed from 2003 to 2020, researchers analyzed those with and without ADHD and the occurrence of dementia among the groups as they aged. Researchers found 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. ADHD in adults may materialize 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. "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.

Additionally, the research suggested ADHD treatment incorporating psychostimulants may help reduce the risk of dementia in adults with ADHD as psychostimulants are known to modify the trajectory of cognitive impairment. However, researchers said future studies should examine in more detail the impact of medications on patients with ADHD and how they could affect risk.