Preconception paternal SSRI use linked to ADHD in offspring

(HealthDay)—Paternal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) before conception is associated with increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in Pediatrics.

Fen Yang, from Fudan University in Shanghai, and colleagues conducted a cohort study involving 781,470 singletons born between 1996 and 2008 who were followed through 2013. Children whose fathers used SSRIs during the three months preceding conception were identified as exposed.

The researchers found that 0.92 percent of children were born to fathers who had used SSRIs during the three months prior to conception. Overall, 12,520 children were diagnosed with ADHD. After adjustment for potential confounders, exposed children had a 26 percent increased risk of ADHD compared with unexposed children (hazard ratio, 1.26; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.51). When extending the exposure window to one year before conception, similarly increased risk of ADHD was seen for paternal use of SSRIs only during the period of 12 to three months before conception and during the last three months before conception (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.35 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.10 to 1.66] and 1.31 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.95 to 1.82]).

"The mildly increased risk of ADHD in offspring associated with paternal SSRI use before conception could probably be due to the underlying indications related to SSRI use," the authors write.