ADHD children should have hearts checked

WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drugs can increase heart rate and blood pressure so children should have hearts checked, U.S. guidelines say.

Children with ADHD should get careful cardiac evaluation and monitoring -- including an electrocardiogram before treatment with these stimulant drugs, an American Heart Association statement recommends. An electrocardiogram measures the heart's electrical activity and can often identify heart rhythm abnormalities such as those that can lead to sudden cardiac death.

If heart problems are suspected after the evaluation, children should be referred to a pediatric cardiologist and children should have their heart health monitored periodically, the guidelines say.

Stimulant medications can increase heart rate and blood pressure of children, but these side effects are insignificant for most children with ADHD; however, it's an important consideration for children who have a heart condition. Certain heart conditions increase the risk for sudden cardiac death, which occurs when the heart rhythm becomes erratic and doesn't pump blood through the body, the statement says.

The statement on Cardiovascular Monitoring of Children and Adolescents with Heart Disease Receiving Stimulant Drugs is published online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.