A large cross-sectional study presented at Annual Congress of Orthopedic Surgeons Americans are sounding the alarm: drugs prescribed to children and adolescents to treat attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD) are believed to have effects on their bone density. “Which is far from trivial at a critical age in the construction of the skeleton” said Dr. Jessica Rivera, orthopedic surgeon at the US Army Surgical Research Center and lead author of the study.
For this study, Dr Rivera followed more than 5,300 young patients enrolled in a national nutrition study and compared the bone density of children on treatment. against ADHD and those who were not taking medication. The results show that children on medication (methylphenidate, dexmethylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, atomoxetine and lisdexamfetamine) have lower bone mineral density in the femur, femoral neck and spine. And about 25% meet the criteria for osteopenia: a physiological state precursor of osteoporosis.
Consider other first-line treatments
Dr Rivera recalled that no link has yet been established between osteopenia and the onset of osteoporosis later in life, but she points out that the low density of children’s bones could theoretically have long-term repercussions. term and lead to poor bone health in adulthood.
To the doctor, it is hardly surprising that the drugs prescribed for ADHD have an impact on the bones since they act on the sympathetic nervous system, which plays an important role in bone remodeling. But she would like doctors to have this side effect in mind when writing the prescription in order to consider other measures or first-line treatments.
This study was published in the Jjournal of pediatric orthopedics.
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