Little is known about the rate of concussions in adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We hypothesized that high school athletes with ADHD would report a greater history of concussion than students without ADHD. A total of 6529 adolescent and young adult student athletes, between the ages of 13 and 19 years (mean, 15.9; standard deviation, 1.3), completed a preseason health survey in 2010. Of those with ADHD, 26.1% reported a history of one or more concussions, compared to 17.1% of those without ADHD (p<0.00001; odds ratio [OR], 1.71). Stratified by gender, 27.0% of boys with ADHD reported a history of one or more concussions, compared to 20.0% of boys without ADHD (p<0.004; OR, 1.48), and 23.6% of girls with ADHD reported a history of one or more concussions, compared to 13.6% of girls without ADHD (p<0.003; OR, 1.97). Of those with ADHD, 9.8% reported a history of two or more concussions, compared to 5.5% of those without ADHD (p<0.0003; OR, 1.87). Stratified by gender, 10.0% of boys with ADHD reported a history of two or more concussions, compared to 6.7% of boys without ADHD (p<0.033; OR, 1.54), and 9.1% of girls with ADHD reported a history of two or more concussions, compared to 3.8% of girls without ADHD (p<0.006; OR, 2.51). In this large-scale, retrospective survey study, boys and girls with ADHD were significantly more likely to report a history of concussion. Additional research is needed to determine whether students with ADHD are more susceptible to injury (i.e., have a lower threshold) or have different recovery trajectories.
Keywords: adolescents; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; concussion; mild traumatic brain injury; surveillance.