Association Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk of Burn Injury: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study

PURPOSE: Literature suggests that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with a high risk of unintentional injury. However, few studies have focused on whether risk of burn injury is relatively high among patients with ADHD. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ADHD affects the risk of burn injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Individuals aged <18 years with a current diagnosis of ADHD (N = 52,705) and age-, sex-, and other comorbidity-matched controls were selected from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database for the period of January 1996 to December 2013. Burn injury was identified in both groups, and risk was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models. We also explored the effects of age and sex on the association. RESULTS: We determined that patients with ADHD had an increased probability of burn injury compared with the control group (ADHD vs controls, 4.6% vs 2.6%; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.66–1.90). The effect of ADHD on burn injury was more prominent among those aged <6 years (aHR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.75–2.20) relative to those aged ≥6 years (aHR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.56–1.83). Both sexes had similar risk profiles. CONCLUSION: The study findings contribute to the increasing body of evidence that ADHD is associated with proneness to burn injury, particularly in children aged <6 years.