Adult ADHD Linked to Later Lewy Body Disease, Cognitive Impairment

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment compared with those without ADHD, according to areport in theAmerican Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Adults with ADHD seem particularly susceptible to dementia associated with Lewy body disease, a disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of proteins called Lewy bodies in the brain that results in various forms of cognitive impairment, delirium-like symptoms, Parkinson ’s-like movement problems, and hallucinations.“Determining whether there is an association between ADHD and subsequent conversion to a specific type of dementia is important,” wrote lead author Ángel Golimstok, M.D., of Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires, and colleagues. “This information could generate opportunities for prevention and earl y treatment.”The researchers followed 161 patients with ADHD and 109 without ADHD aged 45 to 70 for an average of 12 years to determine the rates of dementia and cognitive impairment. Both groups presented at a neurology service between February 2, 2007, and December 31, 2012, because of cognitive complaints or a family history of cognitive impairment or ADHD. Patients in either group taking psychoactive drugs including ADHD medications were excluded, except for those taking a single benzodiazepine or hypnotic for insomnia.At the end of the follow-up, 27 patients with ADHD developed dementia (16.8%) compared with just four patients in the non-...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cognitive impairment dementia hallucinations Lewy bodies Parkinsons Source Type: research