Graysen Porter

Studies find that ADHD can develop within a couple of years in children after they have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Traumatic Brain injury is a brain dysfunction that occurs when an outside force hits the head, most likely a blow or jolt. The most common occurrences are during contact sports and in car accidents.

According to a new report by the MMWR almost 300,00 children each year look for care from the US Emergency Departments. They also found out that contact sports are responsible for 45% of TBI exam visits, football, basketball and soccer being a few.

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is mental disorder that affect children and sometimes adults. It gives people the inability to focus and sit still. ADHD runs in the family as research shows that parents that have kids who have ADHD are more likely to have it themselves.

Cross-section of the human brain

A study at JAMA pediatrics followed 187 children from the age of 3 to 7 who have been  admitted to the hospital for traumatic brain injury. In some cases, TBI can become present as late as 6 years after the injury has happened. It showed that 62% of children who had a traumatic brain injury in the past were likely to have ADHD in years to come compared to the 15% of the non-TBI portion.

Out of the 187 children, 48 of them were eventually diagnosed with secondary ADHD, that about 25 percent of the tested group. In cases, the risk for developing the disorder of severe TBI are four times higher than the rest of the children tested.

“Mild traumatic brain injury is very common in adolescents; epidemiological data show that approximately 1 in 5 report a previous mild traumatic brain injury,” said senior author Anne Wheeler, PhD, of SickKids Research Institute and University of Toronto. The study also shows that about 50% of children develop the symptoms of ADHD a short time after the injury.

1 in 5 children in the US, who have been diagnosed or had a traumatic brain injury will develop ADHD.