title: Obesity in men with childhood ADHD: a 33-year controlled, prospective, follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare BMI and obesity rates in fully grown men with and without childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We predicted higher BMI and obesity rates in: (1) men with, versus men without, childhood ADHD; (2) men with persistent, versus men with remitted, ADHD; and (3) men with persistent or remitted ADHD versus those without childhood ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Men with childhood ADHD were from a cohort of 207 white boys (referred at a mean age of 8.3 years), interviewed blindly at mean ages 18 (FU18), 25 (FU25), and 41 years (FU41). At FU18, 178 boys without ADHD were recruited. At FU41, 111 men with childhood ADHD and 111 men without childhood ADHD self-reported their weight and height.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men with childhood ADHD had significantly higher BMI (30.1 ± 6.3 vs 27.6 ± 3.9; P = .001) and obesity rates (41.4% vs 21.6%; P = .001) than men without childhood ADHD. Group differences remained significant after adjustment for socioeconomic status and lifetime mental disorders. Men with persistent (n = 24) and remitted (n = 87) ADHD did not differ significantly in BMI or obesity rates. Even after adjustment, men with remitted (but not persistent) ADHD had significantly higher BMI (B: 2.86 [95% CI: 1.22 to 4.50]) and obesity rates (odds ratio: 2.99 [95% CI: 1.55 to 5.77]) than those without childhood ADHD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with ADHD are at increased risk of obesity as adults. Findings of elevated BMI and obesity rates in men with remitted ADHD require replication.
authors.affiliation: Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience, Child Study Center of the NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Samuele
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ramos Olazagasti
authors.forename: Rachel G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: F Xavier
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Castellanos
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Proal
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mannuzza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ADHD; BMI; adults; longitudinal follow-up; obesity; weight