Strong links between receiving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and limited maternal education have been found in a new study

Swedish experts teamed up to carry out what they believe is the first study of risk factors for ADHD in a national cohort of school children, based on 1.16 million children on the country's Prescribed Drug Register.
"We identified 7,960 Swedish-born children, aged between six and 19, using a prescription for ADHD medication as our indicator of severe ADHD" explains lead author Professor Anders Hjern from the Centre for Health Equity Studies, a collaboration between the Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University.
"We then tracked their records through other registers, using the unique ten digit reference number all Swedish residents are given at birth, to determine a number of other factors."
ADHD is a common, treatable childhood illness that can affect areas of the brain connected to problem solving, planning ahead, understanding others' actions and controlling impulses. The primary symptoms of the condition are hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention.
"Genes are also known to play an important role in the development of ADHD and studies of identical twins show that they are very likely to exhibit the same ADHD traits" says Professor Hjern, who carried out the study when he was based at the National Board of Health and Welfare.
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Source-ANI