Should Children Diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Have an EKG Machine Test Before Taking Stimulant Medications to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?
There are approximately 4 million people in the United States that are diagnosed with a condition known as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Of those 4 million people, over half of those diagnosed, are children under the age of eighteen. Patients diagnosed with ADHD typically have a greater difficulty focusing on tasks, which can lead to poor school performance, and increased levels of physical energy. To treat ADHD patients, pediatricians use a combination of behavioral and medication therapies.
Pediatricians commonly prescribe stimulant medications, such as Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall to control the behaviors of children and teens that are diagnosed with ADHD. Some studies have shown that stimulant drugs can increase a person’s heart rate and thereby pose serious possible heart risk for those who take them. For this reason, The American Heart Association (AMA) has recommended that doctors provide their patients with a thorough physical exam and screen their patients for heart problems by documenting family history and giving them an electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG) test before prescribing any stimulant medications to ensure that a patient does not have an undiagnosed heart issue. A child who is diagnosed with a heart problem can take the stimulant drugs, but should be monitored frequently by parents and their physician while on the medication.
Abnormal heart rhythms can lead to a sudden onset of cardiac arrest. By recording the electrical activity of the heart, an EKG machine test can detect any abnormal heart rhythms. One in four pediatric cardiologists recommend that to ensure children are treated in the safest manner, a preliminary EKG can greatly reduce the risks that these medications can cause. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required that these drugs have label warnings after 45 reports of problems, some resulting in death had occurred in children. However, there is still a controversy and some debate in the medical community as to whether an EKG machine test is necessary or being effectively used in this particular situation.






