Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and secondhand smoke exposure in children

Secondhand smoke (SHS) increased the risk of symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to results from a cross-sectional study published on JAMA Network Open.

For this study, children (N = 45,562) from 7 cities in northeast China were recruited between 2012 and 2013. The parents of the participating children responded to the Symptom Inventory Scale of ADHD (SIS-ADHD) and the Conners Abbreviated Symptom Questionnaire (C-ASQ). Each of the 9 symptoms of inattention and 9 of hyperactivity and impulsivity were rated on a 4-point Likert scale and parents were asked about cigarette consumption in their homes.

The mean age of the children was 11.0 ± 2.6 years and 50.3% were girls. A total of 2,170 (4.8%) children had ADHD symptoms. ADHD symptoms were associated with exposure to SHS (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.50; 95% CI 1.36-1.66; P <0.001) and consistent exposure (aOR 2.88; 95% CI 2.55-3.25; P <0.001).

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Stratified according to symptoms, 1,816 children had inattentive ADHD (ADHD-I), 91 had hyperactivity-impulsivity ADHD (ADHD-HI) and 263 had a combined (ADHD-C).

The prenatal SHS exposure was with ADHD-I (aOR 2.32; 95% CI 2.09-2.57; P <0.001), ADHD-HI (aOR 2.06; 95% CI 1.30- 3.25; P <0.001). and ADHD-C (aOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.59-2.71; P <0.001). Postnatal SHS exposure was associated with ADHD-I (aOR 1.38; 95% CI 1.20-1.59; P <0.001), ADHD-HI (aOR 2.11; 95% CI 1.16-3, 81; P = 0.01), and ADHD-C (aOR 1.98; 95% CI 1.39-2.81; P <0.001). Current SHS exposure was only associated with ADHD-I (aOR 1.19; 95% CI 1.07-1.32; P <0.001).

This study may have been skewed by using self-reported cigarette use and parent-rated symptoms of ADHD.

These results indicated exposure to SHS during development and as a child, which has been associated with symptoms of ADHD.

reference

Lin LZ, Xu SL, Wu QZ et al. Association of prenatal, early postnatal or current passive smoke exposure with symptoms of attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder in children. JAMA network open. Published online May 20, 2021. doi: 10.1001 / jamanetworkopen.2021.10931

This article originally appeared on Psychiatry Advisor