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Suarez EA, Bateman BT, Hernandez-Diaz S, Straub L, McDougle CJ, Wisner KL, Gray KJ, Pennell PB, Lester B, Zhu Y, Mogun H, Huybrechts KF. Prescription Stimulant Use During Pregnancy and Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children. JAMA Psychiatry 2024; 81:477-488. [PMID: 38265792 PMCID: PMC10809143 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.5073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Importance Use of medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during pregnancy is increasing in the US. Whether exposure to these medications in utero impacts the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children is uncertain. Objective To evaluate the association of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders with in utero exposure to stimulant medications for ADHD. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included health care utilization data from publicly insured (Medicaid data from 2000 to 2018) and commercially insured (MarketScan Commercial Claims Database data from 2003 to 2020) pregnant individuals aged 12 to 55 years in the US with enrollment from 3 months prior to pregnancy through 1 month after delivery, linked to children. Children were monitored from birth until outcome diagnosis, disenrollment, death, or end of the study (December 2018 for Medicaid and December 2020 for MarketScan). Exposures Dispensing of amphetamine/dextroamphetamine or methylphenidate in the second half of pregnancy. Main Outcomes and Measures Autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and a composite of any neurodevelopmental disorder were defined using validated algorithms. Hazard ratios were estimated comparing amphetamine/dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate to no exposure. Results The publicly insured cohort included 2 496 771 stimulant-unexposed, 4693 amphetamine/dextroamphetamine-exposed, and 786 methylphenidate-exposed pregnancies with a mean (SD) age of 25.2 (6.0) years. The commercially insured cohort included 1 773 501 stimulant-unexposed, 2372 amphetamine/dextroamphetamine-exposed, and 337 methylphenidate-exposed pregnancies with a mean (SD) age of 31.6 (4.6) years. In unadjusted analyses, amphetamine/dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate exposure were associated with a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of the neurodevelopmental outcomes considered. After adjustment for measured confounders, amphetamine/dextroamphetamine exposure was not associated with any outcome (autism spectrum disorder: hazard ratio [HR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.14]; ADHD: HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.89-1.28; any neurodevelopmental disorder: HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.81-1.28). Methylphenidate exposure was associated with an increased risk of ADHD (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.12-1.82]) but not other outcomes after adjustment (autism spectrum disorder: HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.62-1.81; any neurodevelopmental disorder: HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.97-1.36). The association between methylphenidate and ADHD did not persist in sensitivity analyses with stricter control for confounding by maternal ADHD. Conclusions and Relevance The findings in this study suggest that amphetamine/dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate exposure in utero are not likely to meaningfully increase the risk of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Suarez
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | - Brian T. Bateman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Sonia Hernandez-Diaz
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Loreen Straub
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Christopher J. McDougle
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Katherine L. Wisner
- The Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kathryn J. Gray
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Page B. Pennell
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Barry Lester
- Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Yanmin Zhu
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Helen Mogun
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Krista F. Huybrechts
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Bang Madsen K, Robakis TK, Liu X, Momen N, Larsson H, Dreier JW, Kildegaard H, Groth JB, Newcorn JH, Hove Thomsen P, Munk-Olsen T, Bergink V. In utero exposure to ADHD medication and long-term offspring outcomes. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1739-1746. [PMID: 36759544 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01992-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication is increasingly being used during pregnancy. Concerns have been raised as to whether ADHD medication has long-term adverse effects on the offspring. The authors investigated whether in utero exposure to ADHD medication was associated with adverse long-term neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes in offspring. The population-based cohort study in the Danish national registers included 1,068,073 liveborn singletons from 1998 to 2015 followed until any developmental diagnosis, death, emigration, or December 31, 2018. Children of mothers who continued ADHD medication (methylphenidate, amphetamine, dexamphetamine, lisdexamphetamine, modafinil, atomoxetine, clonidine) during pregnancy and children of mothers who discontinued ADHD medication before pregnancy were compared using Cox regression. Main outcomes were neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders, impairments in vision or hearing, epilepsy, seizures, or growth impairment during childhood or adolescence. In total, 898 children were exposed to ADHD medication during pregnancy compared to 1270 children whose mothers discontinued ADHD medication before pregnancy. After adjustment for demographic and psychiatric characteristics of the mother, no increased risk of any offspring developmental disorders was found combined (aHR 0.97, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.17) or for separate subcategories. Similarly, no increased risk was found for any sub-categories of outcomes in the negative control or sibling controlled analyses. Neurodevelopment and growth in offspring do not differ based on antenatal exposure to ADHD medication. These findings provide reassurance for women with ADHD who depend on ADHD medication for daily functioning and who consider continuing medication in pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrine Bang Madsen
- NCRR - National Centre for Register-based Research, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Thalia K Robakis
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiaoqin Liu
- NCRR - National Centre for Register-based Research, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Natalie Momen
- NCRR - National Centre for Register-based Research, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Henrik Larsson
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julie Werenberg Dreier
- NCRR - National Centre for Register-based Research, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Helene Kildegaard
- Hans Christian Andersen's Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jane Bjerg Groth
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Audiology, Zealand University Hospital, Universty of Copenhagen, Køge, Denmark
| | - Jeffrey H Newcorn
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Per Hove Thomsen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Research Center at the Department for Child- and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark
| | - Trine Munk-Olsen
- NCRR - National Centre for Register-based Research, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Research Unit of Psychiatry, Institute for Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Veerle Bergink
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Many (> 40%) women discontinue antidepressants during pregnancy because of concerns about effects on the foetus, based on information from inadequately-controlled studies. The sibling-control study design provides the best control for confounding factors, notably maternal depression. The purpose of this review was to investigate the evidence from sibling-control analyses for adverse outcomes in offspring associated with antidepressant exposure during pregnancy. Fourteen sibling-control studies were identified through searches of PubMed and Embase. Outcomes included preterm birth, small for gestational age, neonatal size, birth defects, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioural problems, neurodevelopmental deficits, and scholastic attainment. For the majority of these outcomes, no statistically significant associations were found when comparing exposed and unexposed siblings. Single studies reported associations with preterm birth, reduced gestational age, ADHD, anxiety at 36 months, and lower mathematics test scores, which persisted in the sibling-control analyses. However, differences were small and possibly not clinically significant. Moreover, effects of residual confounding could not be excluded. These findings provide evidence that many of the previously reported associations between prenatal antidepressant exposure and adverse outcomes in offspring are no longer statistically significant when exposed offspring are compared with unexposed siblings. The few statistically significant differences in sibling-control analyses were generally small with doubtful clinical significance. Decisions on antidepressant treatment during pregnancy should be made individually, based on evidence from properly controlled studies, not on misleading information based on studies that have not controlled adequately for confounding factors.
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Walsh CJ, Rosenberg SL, Hale EW. Obstetric complications in mothers with ADHD. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2022; 4:1040824. [PMID: 36419963 PMCID: PMC9678343 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2022.1040824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is currently limited research on the intersection of pregnancy and ADHD and the unique pregnancy risk factors for mothers with an ADHD diagnosis. With an increased population of patients with ADHD in the recent decades and an increase in ADHD medication use during pregnancy it is important to consider what unique risks mothers with ADHD face during the perinatal period. OBJECTIVE Investigate a variety of outcomes in maternal ADHD. METHODS We identified female patients with a diagnosis of pregnancy and ADHD diagnosis. We also further separated the ADHD cohort for separate sub-analyses based on medication type. Odds ratios and relative risk were calculated from outcome incidence within each cohort. Cohorts were balanced on age, sex, and race. RESULTS We identified 45,737 pregnant females with ADHD. We matched these patients to pregnant females without ADHD, for a total of 42,916 pairs. Compared to the group without ADHD, mothers with ADHD had higher rates of every outcome except for HPV infection, which was statistically insignificant (P = 0.768). The odds ratios ranged from 1.08 for anemia complicating pregnancy to 2.63 for depressive episodes. Most outcomes were between 1.2 and 1.8 times more likely to occur in the cohort with ADHD. CONCLUSION This study presents substantial advancements in our knowledge of pregnancy-related ADHD care. Armed with an increased awareness of these potential complications and their relationship with ADHD, obstetricians, psychiatrists, and providers of all specialties may be able to reduce the rate of complications within this specific patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elijah W. Hale
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
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Kian N, Samieefar N, Rezaei N. Prenatal risk factors and genetic causes of ADHD in children. World J Pediatr 2022; 18:308-319. [PMID: 35235183 DOI: 10.1007/s12519-022-00524-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disease among children; it affected 5-7% of the population in 2015. ADHD is a multifactorial disease, and its etiology is still not clearly understood. DATA SOURCES This narrative review has been done by searching the PubMed and Embase databases using attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, risk factors; genetics; pediatrics; psychiatrics as keywords. RESULTS ADHD is considered to be a hereditary disorder in which genes play the fundamental role in the pathogenesis; however, findings from genetic-environmental studies support the hypothesis that genetic factors can exert effects on an individual's condition by determining his/her responses to environmental exposures, especially those during the prenatal stage. CONCLUSION ADHD is considered as a hereditary disorder in which genes and prenatal risk factors play fundamental roles in the pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naghmeh Kian
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Network of Interdisciplinarity in Neonates and Infants (NINI), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,USERN Office, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Noosha Samieefar
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Network of Interdisciplinarity in Neonates and Infants (NINI), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.,USERN Office, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Network of Interdisciplinarity in Neonates and Infants (NINI), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran. .,Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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