Home / Health / ADHD Linked to Higher Dementia Risk
ADHD Linked to Higher Dementia Risk
8 Oct
Summary
- Adults with ADHD show a higher risk of cognitive impairment.
- A study found ADHD linked to a more than four-fold risk.
- Experts recommend cognitive monitoring for older adults with ADHD.
New research indicates that adults diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be more susceptible to memory and thinking issues in their later years. The study, involving over 187,000 adults aged 50 and older in the US, found that individuals with ADHD had a markedly increased risk of cognitive impairment.
Academics discovered that approximately 6.7% of participants with ADHD were diagnosed with cognitive impairment over a seven-year follow-up period, compared to 3.4% of those without ADHD. The findings, published in Jama Psychiatry, suggest that ADHD is associated with a more than four-fold higher risk of late-life cognitive impairment.
These findings support the need to consider ADHD as a relevant factor in cognitive health during aging. Experts are calling for clinical guidelines that recommend cognitive monitoring for adults diagnosed with ADHD. However, the precise mechanisms and causal relationship between ADHD and cognitive decline are still under investigation.
