CHICAGO — The nation’s largest pediatricians group says most children getting attention-deficit drugs don’t need heart screening with electrocardiogram tests, challenging advice from heart doctors.
The new policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics renews a debate over the safety of the stimulants. ADHD drugs can help children focus more, behave less impulsively and perform better in school. But they also can increase blood pressure and heart rate and carry warnings about risks for sudden deaths in patients with heart problems.
The pediatricians group says advice this year from the American Heart Association recommending EKGs was overzealous because these rare deaths are more common in the general population than among children on stimulants.
