{"id":50766,"date":"2026-10-14T15:51:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/adhd-was-linked-to-34-of-35-physical-health-issues-in-a-huge-study\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T15:51:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:51:52","slug":"adhd-was-linked-to-34-of-35-physical-health-issues-in-a-huge-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/adhd-was-linked-to-34-of-35-physical-health-issues-in-a-huge-study\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD Was Linked To 34 Of 35 Physical Health Issues In A Huge Study"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition<\/a> best known for affecting people\u2019s focus. But some researchers think it might be linked to symptoms and even health issues outside of the brain, too.<\/p>\n

For instance, people with ADHD are almost twice as likely<\/a> as those without the condition to have a connective tissue disorder, like hypermobility (being able to move your joints or body parts outside of their usual range), Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan syndrome, and inflammatory conditions like lupus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been linked to greater odds of facing gut issues<\/a> like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, and diarrhoea, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In fact, a massive Swedish sibling study<\/a> which included people born from 1932-1995 and involved nearly five million participants found that\u00a0\u201cadults with ADHD had increased risk for most physical conditions (34 [97%] of 35) compared with adults without ADHD\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Which physical health conditions were linked to ADHD in the study?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To be clear, this association doesn\u2019t mean that ADHD causes health conditions. It just means those with the neurodivergence were more likely to experience them than those who are neurotypical \u2013 and that could be down to other factors, which may or many not even be related to ADHD.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additionally, the associations weren\u2019t all equally strong. ADHD was most highly linked to alcohol-related liver disease (4.7x more likely), sleep disorders (4.62x more likely), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3.24x more likely), epilepsy (2.99x more likely), and fatty liver disease (2.94x more likely).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Overall, the 34 conditions that people with ADHD were more likely to face were:\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hypertension (high blood pressure),\u00a0<\/li>\n
  2. Ischaemic heart disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  3. Pulmonary (lung) disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  4. Atrial fibrillation,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  5. Heart failure,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  6. Stroke,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  7. Peripheral vascular disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  8. Type 1 diabetes,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  9. Type 2 diabetes,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  10. Thyroid disorders,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  11. Obesity,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  12. Gout,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  13. Coeliac disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  14. Ulcer or chronic gastritis,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  15. Acute appendicitis,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  16. Fatty liver disease,<\/li>\n
  17. Alcohol-related liver disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  18. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),\u00a0<\/li>\n
  19. Gallstone disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  20. Glomerular disease (which affects the kidneys),\u00a0<\/li>\n
  21. Urolithiasis (e.g. kidney stones),\u00a0<\/li>\n
  22. Kidney infections,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  23. Arthrosis (e.g. osteoarthritis),\u00a0<\/li>\n
  24. Connective tissue disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  25. Dorsalgia (back pain),\u00a0<\/li>\n
  26. Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  27. Dementia,<\/li>\n
  28. Epilepsy,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  29. Migraine,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  30. Sleep disorders,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  31. Asthma,<\/li>\n
  32. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),\u00a0<\/li>\n
  33. Eczema,\u00a0<\/li>\n
  34. Psoriasis.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The only condition for which people with ADHD did not seem to face a higher risk in this study was rheumatoid arthritis.<\/p>\n

    Does that mean I\u2019ll definitely get these conditions if I have ADHD?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Dr Claudia Aymerich, a consultant psychiatrist at Berkeley Psychiatrists<\/a>, stressed this doesn\u2019t mean people with ADHD will definitely develop these conditions.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe study shows that, on average, adults with ADHD have higher chances of developing certain physical conditions compared to adults without ADHD. This does not mean any one person will definitely go on to develop them,\u201d she told HuffPost UK.<\/p>\n

    The expert added: \u201cThese figures are also relative, not absolute. Some of the conditions with the highest ratios, such as alcohol-related liver disease and fatty liver disease, affected only around 0.2% and 0.1% of people in the study overall, so although a higher likelihood is accurate, it is a very small number of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Also, this study only showed a link between ADHD and some physical health issues. It doesn\u2019t definitely show that one caused the other.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe bigger picture here is that ADHD is not something that just affects attention. It is a condition that touches almost every part of a person\u2019s life, including how the brain manages motivation, reward, and stress,\u201d Dr Aymerich continued.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThose are biological differences, not choices, and living with them can mean years of added stress, poor sleep, and difficulty keeping up the routines that protect health… That does not mean people with ADHD will develop these conditions. It means the way the ADHD brain works makes them more susceptible to the things that lead to physical conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

    How can I lower my risk of these physical health issues if I have ADHD?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Genes play a huge role in everyone\u2019s health, Dr Aymerich said, and people with ADHD are no exception.\u00a0But we still have ways of lowering our risk of developing certain conditions, she added.<\/p>\n

    Eating healthily, getting enough exercise<\/a>, and sleeping well can all help. But those with ADHD can struggle with\u00a0\u201cexecutive functioning\u201d, which can make achieving these goals harder.<\/p>\n

    So, the psychologist said, those with the condition need to take the hard parts out of their routine where they can.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    She suggested trying the following steps:<\/p>\n