Is ADHD Associated with Long-Term Growth Deficits?

After 10 years of follow-up, neither attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder nor stimulants were associated with growth deficits.

When pediatricians prescribe stimulants for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the children's growth is followed closely because of an association between stimulants and slower growth (JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Sep 12 2007). To evaluate long-term growth outcomes in children with ADHD, researchers in Massachusetts followed 137 children with ADHD (78 boys and 59 girls) and 124 controls without ADHD (68 boys and 56 girls) for 10 to 11 years (mean age at follow-up, 21–22 years). Children were recruited from a pediatric psychopharmacology clinic and a health maintenance organization. Telephone questionnaires and structured interviews were used to confirm ADHD diagnoses.

Eighty percent of children with ADHD took stimulants…

Reviewing Author

Cornelius W. Van Neil, MD

Disclosures

EquityMedtronic; Express Scripts; Johnson & Johnson; Merck

Cornelius W. Van Neil, MD

Disclosures

EquityMedtronic; Express Scripts; Johnson & Johnson; Merck