The connection between attention deficit disorder and the risk of dementia has been identified

A team of international scientists conducted a study that followed people for 20 years to find out whether adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. The results showed that people diagnosed with the syndrome have a threefold increased risk of the disease.

While experts stressed that the study had not yet established clear links between the diseases, it underscored the need for further study into whether ADHD medications reduce any potential risk of dementia.

The team behind the work says processes associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults may reduce the brain’s ability to compensate for consequences that may occur later in life, including neurodegeneration or brain blood flow.

“This is consistent with the main finding that ADHD in adults increases the risk of dementia. Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in old age should not be ignored and should not be discussed with doctors,” said Dr. Stephen Levine, first author of the study at the University of Haifa.

In a paper in the journal Jama Network Open, the researchers report that they examined the electronic health records of the nonprofit health maintenance organization Meuhedet Healthcare Services in Israel. People with a pre-existing diagnosis of ADHD or dementia were excluded from the study.

There was also no data to show that the risk of dementia was not reduced if people with ADHD received psychostimulant medications.

“More than 3% of adults in the United States have ADHD, and most remain undiagnosed,” Abraham Reichenberg, a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told US News & World Report.

The team examined the records of nearly 110,000 people who were on average 57.7 years old when the study began in January 2003, according to The Guardian. The results showed that over 20 years, 730 people were diagnosed with adult ADHD, 13% of whom were also diagnosed with dementia. Patients without the syndrome, but with a diagnosis of dementia, were only 7% of all participants.

Taking into account all factors affecting a person (age, gender, socioeconomic status, smoking and health conditions), the team found that those diagnosed with ADHD during the study had a 2.77 times greater risk of developing dementia higher.

However, Levine noted that the team could not say whether the results generalized to childhood ADHD, and that the study could not prove cause and effect.

University of Southampton professor Roxana O Carare reviewed her colleagues’ work and suggested that further research could explore whether abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain observed in ADHD are associated with the development of dementia.

However, University of Nottingham professor Chris Hollis said the study may not be clear on a number of factors. For example, “those adults who are diagnosed with ADHD are also more likely to be assessed for other neuropsychiatric conditions, including dementia,” he commented, adding that it would also be reassuring if the diagnosis of dementia was independently confirmed using brain imaging .

Alzheimer’s Association Senior Director of Scientific Programs and Outreach Claire Sexton explains a number of disease patterns: “For example, depression, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, low education and physical inactivity are associated with both dementia and ADHD and can contribute to development.”

Sexton recalled that a study previously published in early 2023 found that genetic risk for ADHD is associated with the development of amyloid-beta plaque, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

“More research is needed to replicate these results and further explore possible underlying mechanisms,” she said.

Many scientists also urged ADHD patients not to worry after the study was published because “more research is needed to confirm this link, and if proven, an important question will be whether treating ADHD reduces this potential risk.”

ADHD UK chief executive Henry Shelford said a key message from the work was the need to learn more about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its side effects.

Preventive and anti-aging medicine doctor Melanya Mailyan commented on the problem of dementia in modern realities: “Unfortunately, no one is immune from dementia. The topic is very relevant. Often the patient may not notice and lose objectivity. Now, if you contact us in time, doctors try to cope with it and discover the prerequisites.”

The expert draws attention to the fact that “the vascular component plays an important role, it is necessary to monitor such an indicator as homocysteine. If this is done, the need to prescribe B vitamins, which are responsible for atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels, will be visible. With high levels of homocysteine, the vessels are primarily affected .

— What are the signals to contact specialists?

— There are initial signs that you can pay attention to. For example, a calm person suddenly becomes irritable, or a person who was very organized began to become disoriented and lost. Changes such as speech impairment, problems with smell and vision. It is worth noting that problems with the gastrointestinal tract may also appear, because many microorganisms produce neurotransmitters and can also have an effect. In any case, B vitamins are important and essential.