Effectiveness of Pharmacological Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on Physical Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Abstract

The findings of this meta-analysis support a reduced risk of injuries among ADHD patients who were treated with ADHD medications.

Healthcare Utilization and Morbidity among Adolescents with ADHD in Children Aged 11-17 Years, NHIS, 2017

“…Other researchers found similar results when examining the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment for ADHD upon UPIs [18]. They used five studies of ADHD children in which medication and risk of injury were studied [18]. From their meta-analysis, they reported an Adjusted Rate Ratio of 0.76 [95%CI: 0.85, 0.92) [18].…”

“…The authors also found that the risk ratio of poisoning was significantly more than UPIs when individuals with and without ADHD were compared [17]. Other researchers found similar results when examining the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment for ADHD upon UPIs [18]. They used five studies of ADHD children in which medication and risk of injury were studied [18].…”

“…ADHD has both short-term and long-term adverse outcomes such as academic underachievement [18], unsafe driving behavior and motor vehicle collisions [19], substance use disorders [20], risky sexual behaviors [21], criminal behavior, mortality [22], unintentional physical injuries (UPIs) [16], and poisoning [17]. Researchers of a large systematic review and meta-analysis of UPIs who searched 114 databases concluded that children and adolescents with ADHD were more likely to have UPIs (pooled OR= 1.53, 95%CI: 1.40, 1.67) [16].…”

“…They used five studies of ADHD children in which medication and risk of injury were studied [18]. From their meta-analysis, they reported an Adjusted Rate Ratio of 0.76 [95%CI: 0.85, 0.92) [18].…”

“…There are limited studies of preadolescent and adolescent children (aged [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] dealing with healthcare utilization, morbidity, and ADHD. In previous meta-analyses of the available studies, many of the potential studies had to be excluded due to duplications, as well as studies not meeting the inclusion criteria (e.g., case reports, animal studies, or not investigating the desired impact) [16][17][18]. In a large, prospective study of over 2 million US children aged 3-17 years, researchers found that the annual number of visits per child to mental health professionals for behavioral therapy increased between 2007-2009 and 2010-2013 [30].…”