Cardiovascular safety of methylphenidate among children and young people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): nationwide self controlled case series study -

Cardiovascular safety of methylphenidate among children and young people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): nationwide self controlled case series study
Information type: Other primary research
Source: British Medical Journal
Specialities: Cardiovascular system disorders | Mental health and illness | Paediatric and neonatal medicine
Summary
Study (1224 adverse cardiac events from a population of 114,647) found that arrhythmias were 61% more likely to occur in first 2 months of therapy (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.61, 95% CI 1.48 to 1.74). Risk of MI also increased during this period (IRR 2.50, 1.49 to 4.20).
UKMi comment

An editorial discusses the differences between this study and results from cohort studies conducted previously, which found no difference in the rates of adverse cardiovascular events in children who started taking methylphenidate compared with those who did not, regardless of whether children with pre-existing cardiovascular disease were included.
Related links: Editorial