New Guidelines Urge Heart Tests Before Kids Take ADHD Drugs

[Celebration]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120881594888832643.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Children diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder should have a thorough heart work-up, including an electrocardiogram, before taking stimulants such as Ritalin to treat the condition, according to a new recommendation by the American Heart Association.

The advice marks the first time a medical-guidelines body in the U.S. has urged wide use of an electrocardiogram, which charts electrical activity in the heart, to screen a presumed healthy population for abnormalities.

But there is debate among experts about the value of using the test to screen such a large pool of patients to detect a rare condition. The hope is that such a test -- in combination with a comprehensive checkup -- will help to avoid the rare cases of sudden cardiac arrest that have been linked to the widely used medicines.

[Clear Blue Sky]

1. Makes sense. These drugs are lighter versions of speed...n/t

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

2. Deaths from these medications are exceedingly rare.

Canada had 20 deaths in 10 years. Having said all that I disagree with the statement that ekgs cost $100 dollars a pop. We do 12 lead ekgs for about a dollar. So I don't see what the big deal is.

David