The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that stimulants used to treat ADHD do not stunt growth in children.
In the past there has been concern over the effect of stimulant medications on height, but this new study found the treatments did not influence the children's final height as adults.
For the study the researchers looked at 340 children with ADHD who were born between the years of 1976 and 1982; their heights were compared with those of a control group that did not have ADHD. Neither ADHD itself or the stimulants used to treat it were observed to affect adult height.
Boys with ADHD who took stimulants for three or more months tended to have their growth spurts at a later age than those not treated with the drugs; there was not observed to be a difference in the magnitude of growth spurt. There was not found to be a link between longer periods of treatment and final adult height.
"Study authors conclude that neither childhood ADHD itself nor treatment with stimulant medications is associated with growth problems or shorter stature in adulthood," the AAP reported.
According to the American Psychiatric Association about five percent of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD, but the number of individuals suffering from it is most likely higher. Recent studies have suggested about 11 percent of children between the ages of four and 17 suffer from ADHD, Medical News Today reported.
Children with ADHD have trouble paying attention and controlling impulse behaviors. Genetic is believed to be the primary cause of the condition but it could also be linked with factors such as "brain injury, environmental exposures, alcohol and tobacco use in pregnancy, premature delivery and low birth rate," Medical News Today reported.
