Higher Risk of ADHD in Children with High Blood Pressure
December 14, 2010
Adults with hypertension don't perform as well on tests of cognitive skills as people with normal blood pressure. A new study finds that children with hypertension also have a higher rate of learning disabilities and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center included 201 children, aged 10 to 18 years old, in their study; all had been referred to the center because of suspected hypertension, though only 100 were diagnosed with sustained high blood pressure. The remaining 101 children were included in a no-hypertension control group.
Eighteen percent of the 201 children had learning disabilities, as reported by their parents, and 13% of them were being treated for ADHD. But specifically among the children with hypertension, 18% had been diagnosed with a learning disability; the same could be said for only 9% of the non-hypertensive children. In the general population, only 5% of children are diagnosed with learning disabilities.
Among the children with hypertension, 20% had ADHD, compared to only 7% of the children without hypertension. Even when the presence of ADHD was factored out of this analysis, children with high blood pressure were still more likely to have learning disabilities.
The inclusion of children with ADHD is significant; most studies of hypertension exclude them because ADHD medications can increase blood pressure.
The researchers, writing in the journal Pediatrics, believe it's "possible that the increased prevalence of ADHD in the hypertensive group is in part a reflection of neurocognitive difficulties among children with hypertension" and is unrelated to the effects of ADHD medications. More research is needed.
This study, which adds to the research that's found an association between hypertension and learning disabilities, highlights the need for active monitoring and treatment of high blood pressure in children who could have a higher risk of developing learning problems.
Source: Heather R. Adams, et al. "Learning and Attention Problems Among Children With Pediatric Primary Hypertension." Pediatrics 2010;126;e1425-e1429; originally published online Nov 8, 2010.
