Cigarette Smoking During Pregnancy Linked To ADHD Risk In Offspring - Cheryl Platzman Weinstock
Children born to women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy, especially when mothers are heavy smokers, are at an increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new review of medical studies confirms. Mothers who smoked during pregnancy had an overall 60 percent higher risk of having a child with ADHD compared to women who didn't smoke. For mothers who smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, the risk of having a child who developed ADHD was 54 percent higher than for nonsmoking mothers. For mothers who were heavier smokers, the risk was 75 percent higher than for nonsmokers. The team found lower risks for ADHD in children of mothers who smoked in the U.S. and Europe, where more smokers stop smoking when they get pregnant. "It would be a big leap from that, but if you are a prior smoker and stop during pregnancy, the inference is that the risk of ADHD goes down," said Jeffrey Newcorn, MD, professor of psychiatry, pediatrics, and director of The Center of Excellence in ADHD and Related Disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai.
- Jeffrey Newcorn, MD, Professor, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Director, The Center of Excellence in ADHD and Related Disorders, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
