Long-term cardiovascular safety of psychostimulants in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder |
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Authors: | Annette Conzelmann Stefan Müller Thomas Jans Götz-Erik Trott Thomas Keil Manfred Gerlach |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany;2. Centre of Mental Health, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany;3. Practise for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Aschaffenburg, Germany;4. Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany;5. Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universit?tsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany |
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Abstract: | Objective: Side effects are a concern during psychostimulant treatment. Unfortunately, many previous studies only investigated short-term effects of psychostimulants in laboratory settings which lack clinical daily routines. Methods: We examined 1042 patient records of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were referred to a pediatric-psychiatry practice over 12?years. Data analysis was based on 466 children with ADHD who were newly treated with psychostimulants and who were not in treatment for elevated blood pressure. We analysed blood pressure percentiles, heart rate and BMI percentiles. Results: There was a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure percentiles. Heart rate was not affected. BMI slightly declined in girls. Conclusions: In general psychostimulants were safe. To further elucidate negative effects of psychostimulants, long-term controlled and randomized studies in naturalistic settings are of interest. |
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Keywords: | ADHD psychostimulants heart rate blood pressure BMI |
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