ArticleBMC psychiatry2022
Mortality in individuals with childhood ADHD or subthreshold symptoms - a prospective perinatal risk cohort study over 40 years.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Research Review: A systematic review and meta-analysis of infant and toddler temperament as predictors of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2023Pooled it
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and premature mortality: A narrative review of the literature.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Review
- Association between childhood ADHD problems and premature mortality: identifying modifiable cardiovascular mechanisms in a UK population cohort.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Patients ≤25 Years of Age: A National Database Study of Prevalence and Outcomes.Ochsner journal · 2026Article
- Self-Reported ADHD Diagnosis and Illicit Drug Use and Prescription Medication Misuse Among U.S. Working-Age Adults.Journal of attention disorders · 2025Article
- Revisiting the Role of Serotonin in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: New Insights from Preclinical and Clinical Studies.Clinical drug investigation · 2025Review
- Psychosocial interventions for improving the physical health of young people and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a scoping review.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Adult ADHD in the Republic of Ireland: the evolving response.BJPsych bulletin · 2024Review
- Childhood ADHD and subthreshold symptoms are associated with cognitive functioning at age 40-a cohort study on perinatal birth risks.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- State of the Evidence for Use of Psychotropic Medications in School-Age Youth.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with negative life outcomes and recent studies have linked it to increased mortality. These studies have examined nationwide registers or clinic-referred samples and mostly included participants up until the age of 30. No studies have investigated mortality associated with subthreshold levels of ADHD symptoms. Our aim was to analyze mortality in a perinatal risk cohort of 46-year-old adults with childhood ADHD (cADHD) and milder childhood attention problems (including hyperactivity and inattention; cAP) compared with a group with similar birth risks but no or low levels of childhood ADHD symptoms (Non-cAP). Causes of death obtained from a national register were examined.
methodsMortality was analyzed with Cox proportional hazard models for all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality (natural and unnatural causes), and age-specific mortality (under and over age 30). All models were adjusted with gender. The total n in the study was 839 (cADHD n = 115; cAP n = 216; Non-cAP n = 508).
resultsBy the age of 46, 11 (9.6%) deaths occurred in the cADHD group, 7 (3.2%) in the cAP group, and 20 (3.9%) in the Non-cAP group. The cADHD group had the highest mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.15; 95% CI 1.02, 4.54). Mortality was not elevated in the cAP group (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.72; 95% CI .30, 1.72). Mortality in the cADHD group was mainly attributed to unnatural causes of death (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.82; 95% CI 1.12, 7.12). The mortality risk in the cADHD group was sixfold before age 30 (adjusted hazard ratio = 6.20; 95% CI 1.78, 21.57).
conclusionsChildhood ADHD was associated with a twofold risk of premature death by the age of 46 in this prospective longitudinal cohort study. Our results corroborate previous findings and the morbidity of ADHD. Subthreshold levels of childhood ADHD symptoms were not linked to increased mortality. Our results suggest that mortality risk is higher in young than middle adulthood. Future studies should examine mortality associated with ADHD in different ages in adulthood to identify those in greatest risk of premature death.
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