Hyperactive people have more fatal accidents

Attention disorders with or without hyperactivity (ADHD) kill earlier. And this is the first time that a study shows it, according to Danish researchers who published their results on Thursday in the Lancet. For 30 years, they followed nearly 2 million children, adolescents and adults. Of these, 32,000 with ADHD, of which 117 died.

And the result is clear: hyperactive patients are twice as likely to die prematurely as people who do not have the disorder. This risk remains 50% higher when excluding hyperactive patients suffering in addition from various disorders (drug abuse, behavior, opposition to provocation).

Girls and women more at risk

These premature deaths are mainly due to accidents. The risk is greater in girls and women than in boys and men. It also increases with the age of ADHD diagnosis. It is thus more important in adulthood than in childhood or adolescence. The researchers do not put forward an explanation for this sexual difference. But they have one for the age. “Persistent hyperactivity could represent a more severe form of disorder,” said Soren Dalsgaard, of the University of Aarhus, and his colleagues.

“These findings underscore the importance of diagnosing ADHD early, especially in girls and women, and of treating any other co-existing disorder, drug abuse or antisocial behavior,” they conclude. However, they want to reassure parents of hyperactive children and patients. If the relative risk is increased, the absolute risk is low, they caution.

Difficult to spot

ADHD is often reduced to hyperactivity, with the idea of ​​restless or boisterous children. But it is a difficult disorder to spot which must combine three disabling symptoms: attention deficit, motor hyperactivity and impulsivity.
In France, according to a 2011 study, 3.5% of children aged 6 to 12 are affected. The High Authority for Health (HAS) has issued recommendations affirming the role of primary care physicians in identification.