Health After Birth Tied to Developing ADHD
A new study shows that a baby's health in the first few minutes after birth may hold clues about whether he/she will develop ADHD later on or not.
According to the findings reported in the Journal of Pediatrics, an infant's Apgar score can give clues on whether a child is at risk of having ADHD. The Apgar score consists of several physical markers including heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tone, and more. An Apgar score of 10 is the best possible condition, and 1 is the worst.
Researchers found through historic data among almost one million Danish children that those whose Apgar scores were 5 or 6 were 63 percent more likely to develop ADHD when they get older, compared with children whose Apgar scores were either 9 or 10. Those with an Apgar score of 1 to 4 were 75 percent more likely to develop ADHD.
