Adult ADHD symptoms may be the cause of dementia

A new study has found that adults showing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms may be at a higher risk for mental and physical health problems as they age.

Commonly found and discussed in children, ADHD can affect adults as well.

Symptoms of ADHD in adults are similar to those in children, including restlessness, inability to focus, and trouble sticking to a schedule.

For the study, researchers analyzed three groups of people. One group contained more than 250 individuals with Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, a second group contained 109 people with signs of dementia, and a third group had no signs of dementia.

The study showed that nearly half of all people with dementia in the study experienced ADHD-like symptoms at some point. In both the Alzheimer’s group and the healthy group, only 15 percent of individuals explained to have prior ADHD symptoms.

The National Institute of Health explains that for an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, they must have shown symptoms of some kind during childhood.