Home Cardiology Odds of Anxiety, Depression, ADHD Up With Congenital Heart Disease

Odds of Anxiety, Depression, ADHD Up With Congenital Heart Disease

Youth with CHD have increased odds of anxiety and/or depression, ADHD, regardless of CHD severity

MONDAY, Jan. 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Youth with congenital heart disease (CHD) have increased odds of anxiety and/or depression or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), regardless of disease severity, according to a study published online Jan. 4 in Pediatrics.

Vincent J. Gonzalez, M.D., from Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues conducted a comparative cross-sectional study using electronic health records from a tertiary care hospital between 2011 and 2016 to characterize anxiety, depression, and ADHD among youth with versus without CHD. A total of 118,785 patients aged 4 to 17 years with more than one hospitalization or emergency department visit were included; 1,164 had CHD.

The researchers found that 18.2 percent of the patients with CHD and 5.2 percent of those without CHD had a diagnosis or medication for anxiety or depression. Significantly higher odds of anxiety and/or depression or ADHD were seen for all youth with CHD. The odds of diagnosis or treatment for anxiety and/or depression were increased for children aged 4 to 9 years with simple CHD (odds ratio, 5.23) and for those with complex single ventricle CHD (odds ratio, 7.46). The likelihood of being diagnosed or treated for anxiety and/or depression or ADHD was significantly lower for minority and uninsured youth, regardless of disease severity.

“With these findings, we emphasize the importance of potential screening for anxiety, depression, and/or ADHD at a young age in patients with CHD, regardless of disease severity,” the authors write.

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