Sexually transmitted infection among adolescents and young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder:

Mu-Hong Chen MD, Ju-Wei Hsu MD, Kai-Lin Huang MD, Ya-Mei Bai MD, PhD, Nai-Ying Ko PhD, Tung-Ping Su MD, Cheng-Ta Li MD, PhD, Wei-Chen Lin MD, Shih-Jen Tsai MD, Tai-Long Pan PhD, Wen-Han Chang MSc and Tzeng-Ji Chen MD, PhD.  Sexually Transmitted Infection Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study.  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2018-01-01, Volume 57, Issue 1, Pages 48-53.

Objective

Previous studies have suggested that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is related to risky sexual behaviors, which have been regarded as a major risk factor of sexually transmitted infection (STI). However, the association between ADHD and subsequent STIs remains unknown.

Method

Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 17,898 adolescents and young adults who were diagnosed with ADHD by psychiatrists and 71,592 age- and sex-matched comparisons without ADHD were enrolled from 2001 through 2009 and followed to the end of 2011. Participants who developed any STI during the follow-up period were identified. Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the risk of STIs between patients with ADHD and those without ADHD.

Results

Patients with ADHD were prone to developing any STI (hazard ratio [HR] 3.36, 95% CI 2.69∼4.21) after adjusting for demographic data, psychiatric comorbidities, and ADHD medications compared with the comparison group. Substance use disorders (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.27∼2.98) also were associated with STI risk. Short-term use (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53∼0.94) and long-term use (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.37∼0.93) of ADHD medications were related to a lower risk of subsequent STIs. However, an association between substance use disorders and STIs was observed only in women. By contrast, the effect of ADHD medications on the decrease of STI risk was observed only in men.

Conclusion

Adolescents and young adults with ADHD had an increased risk of developing any STI later in life compared with the non-ADHD comparisons. Patients with ADHD who also had substance use disorders were at the highest risk of subsequent STIs. Treatment with ADHD medications was associated with a lower risk of subsequent STIs.

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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among adolescents and young adults, but ADHD medication use could lower this risk, according to the results of a recent study.

Although previous research has indicated that ADHD is associated with an increased likelihood of risky sexual behaviors, the relationship between ADHD and STIs is unknown.

For their study, the researchers used data on 17,898 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with ADHD and 71,592 age- and sex-matched comparisons without ADHD from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.

Overall, individuals with ADHD were more likely to develop any STI (hazard ratio [HR] 3.36, 95% CI 2.69~4.21), compared with the comparison group. Those with substance use disorders were also at an increased risk (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.27∼2.98), but short-term and long-term use of ADHD medication was related to a lower risk of STI ([HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53∼0.94] and [HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.37∼0.93], respectively). The effects of substance use disorder was observed only in women, while the effects of ADHD medications were observed only in men.

“Adolescents and young adults with ADHD had an increased risk of developing any STI later in life compared with the non-ADHD comparisons. Patients with ADHD who also had substance use disorders were at the highest risk of subsequent STIs. Treatment with ADHD medications was associated with a lower risk of subsequent STIs,” the researchers concluded.

https://www.consultant360.com/exclusives/adhd-greatly-increases-sti-risk