Heart tests recommended for kids on ADHD meds
Bea Karnes
The American Heart Association says children should have their heart's checked before starting medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. The medications used to treat ADHD are stimulant medications that can get the heart rate and blood pressure racing.
Doctors said between 1999 and 2004, 19 children taking ADHD medications have died suddenly. Others have had strokes, cardiac arrest and heart palpitations. The American Heart Association is recommending children and adolescents be screened before taking medication, including getting an electro-cardiogram.
Any child already taking the medications should be tested, as well. "If the doctor prescribes them they should be taken but the parent should know whether their child has a heart condition or not before they give the medication." Dr. Victoria Vetter, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said.
Vetter said ADHD medications can be used even in children with heart conditions, as long as they're carefully monitored. "This thing can tell you if any of the chambers of the heart are enlarged or if there are any electrical abnormalities in the heart that might lead to an abnormal heart rhythm," Vetter said.
She said children with heart conditions who take the medicine may be at risk for sudden cardiac death. But she said many times heart conditions in children are undiagnosed, so all children taking the medications should be checked.
"Probably as many as 2 percent of the population of children have heart conditions. That can put them at risk for a sudden cardiac event that can be quite serious but they don't know that they have it," Vetter said. In addition to an ECG, doctors recommend a physical exam. "This includes taking a very through family history, asking if there are any sudden deaths under the age of 30 or 35. Asking questions about personal history, have they ever fainted after exercise do they have chest pain with exercise," Vetter said.
The most common ADHD medications include Concerta, Ritalin, Adderall and Strattera. "These medications are simply stimulants," Vetter said.
"Exercise can have the same effect so we want to identify children with heart disease. That does not mean they can't take the medication, in fact, because there is such a high prevalence of this condition in individuals who have complex heart disease and are young we want them to be able to take the medicine we simply want them to be able to take it safely," Vetter said.
Vetter said the medications are very helpful in treating the disorder and said even children with heart conditions can take them safely if they are checked and monitored.
