ADHD medications do not appear to increase patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease regardless of age group, suggests a large global study of 3.9 million patients.

Researchers say this “reassuring” finding is consistent across both stimulants and non-stimulants, although they could not rule out a modest risk increase, especially for tachyarrhythmias and cardiac arrest.

Their systematic review and meta-analysis drew upon data from 19 observational studies involving children, adolescents and adults, with an average follow-up ranging from three months to 9.5 years. 

The team, led by the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, looked at associations between ADHD medications and a broad range of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and cerebrovascular disease.