Change of Heart: Understanding Cardiovascular Disease in Women with ADHD

What’s the leading cause of death among women worldwide?No, it’s not cancer. In fact, the number of worldwide deaths from all types of cancer combined is equivalent to half the number of fatalities caused by heart disease in women.More than 60 million women in the United States have heart disease — and for the large majority, serious cardiac problems begin in perimenopause when estrogen, which protects the heart, decreases dramatically.While the risk for cardiovascular disease increases in all women during perimenopause, women with ADHD may face an even greater risk than their non-ADHD peers.

Research has revealed that the prevalence of heart disease is higher among adults with ADHD of both genders compared to adults without ADHD: 38% vs 23%.1 While research investigating the prevalence of heart disease among women with ADHD, specifically, remains incomplete, it is reasonable to hypothesize that rates are high because this population faces myriad heart disease risk factors including chronic stress, anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, sleep disorders, obesity, and diabetes.To test this hypothesis, I partnered with the HeartLife Cardiology Clinic in the Netherlands.

Included in the study were 300 women, the majority of whom were of perimenopausal age, as this is commonly the age at which women seek treatment for cardiac complaints.2[Read: Let’s Talk About Perimenopause and ADHD]We found that 35% of these patients met criteria for lifetime ADHD symptoms: a rate that is nearly 10 times that found among women in general.