Cardiovascular Medicine Use Among Adults With ADHD: A Nationwide Study in Australia

Despite cardiovascular conditions being common in adults with ADHD, data on patterns of cardiovascular medicine use in this population are scarce.

Using dispensing claims for a 10% random sample of Australians, this population-based study comprised 14,753 adults with ADHD (defined as having ≥2 ADHD medicine dispensings in 2012-2020) who were 1:4 sex- and age-matched with 59,012 adults without ADHD (no ADHD dispensings). We estimated the prevalence of cardiovascular medicine use in 2021 among adults with and without ADHD, overall and by medicine type, sex, and age. Using Poisson regression, we calculated age- and sex-adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess associations.

Overall cardiovascular medicine use was more prevalent among adults with ADHD than those without (16.5% vs. 10.0%, aPR = 1.7, 95% CI [1.6, 1.7]), with the highest difference among those aged 18 to 29 years (aPR = 2.8, 95% CI [2.4, 3.1]). We observed increased differences in use of propranolol (3.2% vs. 0.7%), loop diuretics (0.8% vs. 0.4%), potassium-sparing diuretics (0.9% vs. 0.4%), cardiac therapy (0.8% vs. 0.5%), and antithrombotic agents (2.2% vs. 1.4%). Among females, we noted associations of ADHD with specific diuretic subgroups (loop, aPR = 2.8, 95% CI [2.1, 3.7]; potassium-sparing, aPR = 2.5, 95% CI [1.9, 3.3]).

We identified an elevated prevalence of cardiovascular medicine use among adults with ADHD, particularly among younger people. We also observed distinct patterns in specific medicine use between sexes, suggesting potential sex-specific effect modification. Our findings underscore the importance of regular monitoring and management of cardiovascular health among people with ADHD across the lifespan.