Prenatal Exposure to Smoke Increases ADHD Risk

Research shows both maternal and paternal smoke has effect on ADHD risk for child.

Prenatal exposure to smoke--both by the mother and the father--may be a risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands, published in the journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry online in March.

Previous research has shown a connection between maternal smoking during pregnancy and an increased risk of ADHD, but researchers did not know if the correlation was entirely environmental. By studying the effect of paternal smoking as well, they were able to conclude that the environmental effect of exposure to smoke prenatally does increase risk for ADHD.

Read more in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.