Dementia risk more than quadruples among adults with common disorder

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A common neurodevelopmental disorder could be linked to dementia risk, a new study suggests.

Research led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, involving more than 187,000 adults aged 50 and older, found that ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) was associated with a substantially increasedrisk of dementiaor mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The observational study looked at electronic health records and genetic information of participants who were enrolled in the U.S.National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program.

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Cognitive impairment was observed in 6.7% ofparticipants with ADHDversus 3.4% without the disorder — nearly twice the rate.

After researchers adjusted for age, gender and other health conditions, those with ADHD had more than four times the risk.

Senior woman looking at her phone with a worried expression.

A common neurodevelopmental disorder could be linked to dementia risk, a new study suggests.(iStock)

The findings — which were published Oct.7 in JAMA Psychiatry — only show an association and cannot determine that ADHD increases dementia risk, the researchers acknowledged.

“This doesn’t prove that ADHD causes dementia, but seeing the same pattern show up independently in medical records and inpeople’s genesgives us greater confidence that the association is not simply an artifact of how ADHD gets diagnosed,” said senior author Tharick A.Pascoal, associate professor of psychiatry and of neurology at Pitt, in a press release.

“Two different kinds of evidence are pointing in the same direction.”

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Meanwhile, those with the highest genetic susceptibility to ADHD were found to have a 35% greater risk of dementia than those with the lowest susceptibility.

“Analyzing genetic information alongside years ofhealth recordsallows us to identify patterns that might not be visible in a smaller or more traditional study,” said Guilherme Bauer-Negrini, co-first author and postdoctoral associate in biomedical data science at Pitt, in the release.

“It goes back to nature versus nurture — particularly if we’re starting at age 50, as opposed to starting at 20.”

“With this kind of data, we can start to investigate what may be driving this association and whether any of those factors could be modified to support healthier cognitive aging.”

Understanding the link

Dr.Elizabeth Landsverk, a geriatric medicine and dementia expert with over 20 years of experience treating patients with Alzheimer’s andcognitive decline, noted that people with ADHD can have more difficulty with organization, which could contribute to the higher risk of cognitive impairment, although neurological differences may also play a role.

“It might [be] that keeping on top of health issues and getting to the doctor is more difficult for them,�

Cognitive impairment was observed in 6.7% of participants with ADHD versus 3.4% without the disorder — nearly twice the rate.(iStock)

The study also found that people with ADHD had a 20% higher incidence of utilizinghealth resources, she pointed out.

“Having just signed up for Medicare, I know that it’s really complicated — if you have trouble with focusing and getting things done, you may not be able to get the resources that you need,” Landsverk said.“You may not be able to go to the doctor.You may not get your blood pressure taken care of.So there’s probably a correlation.”

“It goes back to nature versus nurture — particularly if we’re starting at age 50, as opposed to starting at 20.”

ADHD vs dementia

It can be challenging to distinguish between ADHD andcognitive decline, as some of the symptoms may overlap, according to Landsverk.

“I imagine it can look similar,” she said.“You know, you don’t remember why you went into a room.You don’t know where your keys are, you don’t remember the name of an actress.”

It is cause for concern if the individual struggles to take care of day-to-day tasks, the expert noted.

Woman in denim shirt pinching her nose in stress while holding glasses in front of a laptop at home.

The findings only show an association and cannot determine that ADHD increases dementia risk, the researchers acknowledged.(Getty Images)

“You can’t pay your bills, you can’t get your medications right, you can’t get to your appointments, you tell people that you’re going to do stuff and then you don’t — that’s when you need to get checked.”

Changes injudgment, mood or social behaviormay be more suggestive of dementia than ADHD, Landsverk noted.