Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia in later life, according to a study.
Researchers at the Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) examined data from 109,218 people living in Israel over a 17-year period to examine whether adults with ADHD were at heightened risk of developing the condition.
The presence of adult ADHD was associated with a significantly higher risk of dementia even when other risk factors for dementia were taken into account, such as cardiovascular conditions.
Overall, adults with ADHD were 2.77 times more likely to develop dementia than those without the condition.
ADHD in adults may materialise as a neurological process that "reduces the ability for patients to compensate for the effects of cognitive decline" later in life, researchers said.
There are an estimated 2.6 million people in the UK with ADHD, according to ADHD UK Charity. The condition is thought to be caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
Symptoms include being unable to sit still, constantly fidgeting, excessive physical movement and being unable to concentrate on tasks.
"Physicians, clinicians and caregivers who work with older adults should monitor ADHD symptoms and associated medications," said Abraham Reichenberg, a professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and senior author of the study.
The study also suggested that the use of ADHD medication could help to reduce the risk of dementia by "modifying the potential trajectory of cognitive impairment".
As a result, the authors concluded that doctors and clinicians "may wish to monitor ADHD in old age reliably".
Previous studies have suggested that ADHD could increase the risk of dementia as there may be similar genetic pathways involved in both conditions.
Last week, a study published by scientists at the University of Bournemouth found that excessive smartphone and social media use can fuel symptoms of ADHD in adults.
Researchers found that adults displaying signs of ADHD were more likely to experience some form of technology addiction.
