A study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic indicates that girls who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to become obese in adulthood as compared to children who do not suffer from the condition.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorder that causes impulsiveness or hyperactivity which is not fit for a person's age. These symptoms start at the age of 6 to 12 and can be diagnosed six months after the onset of the disease. The cause of this disease is still not known.
Dr Seema Kumar along with her colleagues at Mayo Clinic's Children's Research Center did an analysis of the reports of earlier cases of the condition and male as well as female children (controls) taken from the same birth cohort.
The researchers studied data of 336 subjects who were diagnosed with ADHD between 1976 and 1982 and compared to 665 non-ADHD children who were studied as controls, as reported by Tech Times.
The medical records of the participants had measurements of the height, weight, and stimulant treatment from January 1976 to August 2010.
The researchers used a statistical technique, Cox model, to determine the relationship between childhood ADHD and obesity.
After the analysis Kumar and her colleagues found that female participants who suffered from ADHD had twofold risk of obesity as compared to those who did not have the condition.
The study by Kumar also indicated that children who received treatment for the condition had no risk of obesity.
"Females with ADHD are at risk of developing obesity during adulthood, and stimulant medications used to treat ADHD do not appear to alter that risk," Kumar said
Kumar stressed that it is imperative for patients with ADHD as well as their healthcare providers and caregivers to become know the potential risks of ADHD and its link with obesity, especially among females.
The researchers advise that ADHD sufferers to must take part in preventive measures, such as eating healthy and practicing a more active lifestyle, in order to lower their risk for obesity.
