ADHD in childhood associated with skin disorders

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more likely to have skin infections, impetigo and atopic diseases, a recent study shows.

To examine a hypothesis examining the link between ADHD and allergies, researchers with University of Groningen, Netherlands, analyzed 884 boys who were diagnosed with ADHD, and 3,536 controls. After adjusting for age and presence of low birth weight or preterm delivery, independent odds ratios were 1.5 for impetigo, 1.5 for any antihistamine drug prescriptions, and 1.4 for medical history of asthma.

“Despite possible limitations inherent to observational studies, this study lends support to the emerging evidence that childhood ADHD is associated with atopic diseases and impetigo,” study authors concluded, noting that further research is required to better understand underlying mechanisms and evaluate preventive and therapeutic interventions.

The study was published in the August issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.