Question

Read the following text and apply at least 3 guidelines for judging whether the observed association is causal to answer question.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder and is associated with significant burden. More than half of children with ADHD continue to have this disorder in adulthood and live with many long-term adverse health and social conditions. The worldwide ADHD prevalence in children has been estimated at 7.2%. Genetic factors have been demonstrated to play a role in ADHD etiology with a heritability of 70%-80%. Other factors that play a role include low level of paternal education, low maternal age at delivery, prenatal smoking, prenatal illicit drug use, birth complications, low birth weight, preterm delivery, neonatal jaundice, childhood asthma, maternal depression, use of prenatal antidepressants and acetaminophen exposure. It has been demonstrated that exposure to antibiotics in early life disrupts the equilibrium of gut microbiota and could potentially contribute to the development of ADHD. In a population-based cohort study, researchers found that early antibiotic exposure was associated with the development of ADHD (RR=1.10, 95% Confidence interval 1.01, 1.65).

Is the association between early antibiotic exposure and ADHD causal?

Answer 1

There have the association between early antibiotic expose and ADHD causal

ADHD is the most common childhood disorder and can continue through adolescence and adulthood.

Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behaviour and hyper activity.

Causes

Increasing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) incidence has been proposed to be caused by factors influencing microbiota in early life.

The potential causality of ADHD  

i) birth delivery mode

ii) childhood antibiotic use.

There are some who hold the view that the cause of ADHD is he repeatedly because of some genetic neural problem. Many twin studies have evinced that 51% of identical twins and 33% of fraternal twins show such Evidence of ADHD and they tend to conclude that heridity is the cause of ADHD.

It has been further observe that specific psychiatric drug can increase attention and decrease hyperactivity of ADHD. This is also evinces that neurochemical malfunction of the brain is responsible for causing ADHD.

In normal persons, amphetamine like medicine can increase attention rate and span and hyperactivity can be decreased. On the whole metabolic disbalance in the cerebral cortex cause ADHD at childhood.