The Effect of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy on the Risk of ADHD in the Offspring.
OBJECTIVE
Evidence suggests that perinatal factors may contribute to the development of ADHD. Our objective was to examine the association between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and ADHD, and behavioral difficulties among 7-year-old children.


METHODS
The study cohort consisted of 13,192 children (weighted = 13,500) who participated in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) at age 7. HDP (raised blood pressure, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and toxemia) were reported by mothers 9 months postdelivery. ADHD was reported by parents at age 7 years. Weighted logistic regression models were used to assess the association.


RESULTS
In all, 1,069 (7.9%) women reported HDP and 166 (1.2%) children had an ADHD diagnosis. There was a significant association between HDP and ADHD (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 3.07]).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that HDP is associated with an increased risk of ADHD. It is important to confirm this in larger cohorts and to understand the biological basis of this association.
1 Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
Stefanie
S
Böhm
2 University College Cork, Ireland.
Eileen A
EA
Curran
2 University College Cork, Ireland.
Louise C
LC
Kenny
2 University College Cork, Ireland.
Gerard W
GW
O'Keeffe
2 University College Cork, Ireland.
Deirdre
D
Murray
2 University College Cork, Ireland.
Ali S
AS
Khashan
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
ADHD; behavioral difficulties; hypertensive disorders of pregnancy