ADHD, Author Interviews, BMJ, Heart Disease, Pediatrics / 01.06.2016
Pediatric Methylphenidate (Ritalin) May Raise Risk of Cardiac Arrhythmia
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Nicole Pratt PhD
Senior Research Fellow
Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre
Sansom Institute, School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences
University of South Australia
Adelaide South Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Pratt: The cardiac safety of methylphenidate has been debated. This study aimed to measure the risk of cardiac events in a large population of children treated with these medicines. We found that there was a significantly raised risk of arrhythmia in time periods when children were treated with methylphenidate compared to time periods when they were not. While the relative risk of cardiac events was significant the absolute risk is likely to be low as cardiac events are rare in children.
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