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ADHD linked to higher mortality but medication may help
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1148102
INTRO: For the study, published in JAMA Network Open, the researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies that included data from close to 16 million study participants on three continents.
In a meta-analysis of observational studies, they found that ADHD is linked to higher rates of suicide and injury deaths, as well as a moderate increase in natural-cause mortality. But they found some evidence that this mortality risk is lower among people who take ADHD medication.
Senior author Professor Joshua Stott (UCL Psychology and Language Sciences) said: “We have previously found that people with ADHD have reduced life expectancies*, so here we are adding to our understanding of what drives this very concerning statistic.
“We found that people with ADHD face an increased risk not only of death by suicide and injury, but also of deaths by natural causes, adding to evidence that health inequalities faced by people with ADHD are broad and wide-ranging.
“ADHD is not by definition a life-limiting condition as the right support and treatment can help people with ADHD to live long and healthy lives. Our findings underscore the importance of ensuring that everyone who may have ADHD has access to accurate diagnosis and treatment. While ADHD diagnosis rates have risen in recent years, they may still lag behind actual prevalence, particularly for older age groups where mortality risk may be most pertinent **.” (MORE - no ads)
Girls vaping at higher rates than boys, national study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1147513
INTRO: For decades, boys and men were more likely than their female peers to use nicotine. But a new study from MUSC shows that among U.S. adolescents, that pattern has reversed for vaping. Girls have been vaping at higher rates than boys since 2021, with the gap becoming particularly pronounced among older teenagers, according to the study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The findings offer the first look at how smoking and vaping patterns have changed by age and gender across a full decade – from the rapid rise of e-cigarettes in the late 2010s through the shifting patterns of youth nicotine use seen today.
Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., director of the MUSC Health Tobacco Treatment Program and co-director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, said the latest numbers should serve as a warning that the youth vaping problem has not gone away.
“We have to understand why, and we need to mobilize our public health efforts,” Toll said. “We need both prevention and intervention for these young people who are vaping at alarmingly high rates.” (MORE - no ads)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1148102
INTRO: For the study, published in JAMA Network Open, the researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies that included data from close to 16 million study participants on three continents.
In a meta-analysis of observational studies, they found that ADHD is linked to higher rates of suicide and injury deaths, as well as a moderate increase in natural-cause mortality. But they found some evidence that this mortality risk is lower among people who take ADHD medication.
Senior author Professor Joshua Stott (UCL Psychology and Language Sciences) said: “We have previously found that people with ADHD have reduced life expectancies*, so here we are adding to our understanding of what drives this very concerning statistic.
“We found that people with ADHD face an increased risk not only of death by suicide and injury, but also of deaths by natural causes, adding to evidence that health inequalities faced by people with ADHD are broad and wide-ranging.
“ADHD is not by definition a life-limiting condition as the right support and treatment can help people with ADHD to live long and healthy lives. Our findings underscore the importance of ensuring that everyone who may have ADHD has access to accurate diagnosis and treatment. While ADHD diagnosis rates have risen in recent years, they may still lag behind actual prevalence, particularly for older age groups where mortality risk may be most pertinent **.” (MORE - no ads)
Girls vaping at higher rates than boys, national study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1147513
INTRO: For decades, boys and men were more likely than their female peers to use nicotine. But a new study from MUSC shows that among U.S. adolescents, that pattern has reversed for vaping. Girls have been vaping at higher rates than boys since 2021, with the gap becoming particularly pronounced among older teenagers, according to the study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The findings offer the first look at how smoking and vaping patterns have changed by age and gender across a full decade – from the rapid rise of e-cigarettes in the late 2010s through the shifting patterns of youth nicotine use seen today.
Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., director of the MUSC Health Tobacco Treatment Program and co-director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, said the latest numbers should serve as a warning that the youth vaping problem has not gone away.
“We have to understand why, and we need to mobilize our public health efforts,” Toll said. “We need both prevention and intervention for these young people who are vaping at alarmingly high rates.” (MORE - no ads)