Chen MH, et al. - This nationwide longitudinal study was performed to investigate the association between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and subsequent sexually transmitted infection (STI). In comparison with the non-ADHD comparisons, adolescents and young adults with ADHD had an elevated risk of developing any STI later in life. Patients with ADHD who also had substance use disorders were at the highest risk of subsequent STIs. Treatment with ADHD medications was correlated with a reduced risk of subsequent STIs.

Methods

• Between 2001 and 2009, the physicians enrolled 17,898 adolescents and young adults who were diagnosed with ADHD by psychiatrists and 71,592 age-/sex-matched comparisons without ADHD using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.
• Subjects were followed up to the end of 2011 in this study.
• They identified participants who developed any STI during the follow-up period.
• They performed Cox regression analysis to examine the risk of STIs among patients with ADHD and those without ADHD.

Results

• After adjusting for demographic data, psychiatric comorbidities, and ADHD medications, patients with ADHD were prone to developing any STI (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.36, 95% CI: 2.69~4.21) compared with the comparison group.
• Furthermore, substance use disorders (HR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.27~2.98) were correlated with the STI risk.
• Both short-term use (0.70, 95% CI: 0.53~0.94) of and long-term use (HR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.37~0.93) of ADHD medications were associated with a reduced risk of subsequent STIs.
• However, the physicians observed an association between substance use disorders and STIs only in women.
• On the other hand, the effect of ADHD medications on the reduction of STI risk was observed only in men.