Family Forum / Parenting / Children's Health / April 2006

Medscape's "Ask the Experts" feature discusses the "True Cardiac Risks
of Stimulant Medications," answering the question raised by several
posters WRT the incidence rate of sudden cardiac death in children
taking ADHD medications vs. the rate in children in the general population.

The article says that in studies which looked at sudden pediatric
cardiac deaths, the lower limit was 1.3 cases per 100,000 person years;
the upper limit was 2.4 - 8.5 cases per 100,000 person-years.

The article goes on to say that the FDA's recently reported data from
1992-2004 of deaths in people under the age of 18 showed the following:

- Methylphenidate: 11 deaths in 7,127,432 person-years, or an incidence
of 0.2 per 100,000 person-years.

- Amphetamine/dextroamphetamine: 13 deaths in 3,817,929 person-years, or
an incidence of 0.3 per 100,000 person-years.

- Atomoxetine: 3 deaths per 601,246 person-years or an incidence of 0.5
per 100,000 person-years.

The article concludes:

"Thus, in all 3 categories of ADHD medication, the rates of sudden
cardiac death are well below the incidence in the general population of
the same age group."

You can find the entire article at:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/527857

You may need to register to read the article, but registration is free.

Nancy
Unique, like everyone else