GROWTH AND CARDIOVASCULAR MEASURES IN HYPERACTIVE INDIVIDUALS AS YOUNG-ADULTS AND IN MATCHED NORMAL CONTROLS

Abstract

Height, weight, pulse rate and blood pressure were measured in 65 hyperactive individuals 17 to 24 yr old who did not take stimulant medication during childhood, and in 39 control subjects matched for age, sex, IQ and socioeconomic class. There were no significant differences in the physiologic measures between the 2 groups. Both the hyperactive and the control subjects reached their growth plateau by the time of examination, though the exact time was not determined. Hyperactive individuals who took phenothiazines during childhood were significantly taller than those who never took medication. Possible stimulation of growth by phenothiazines occurred at a critical period of growth, but more detailed research is necessary. The physiologic measures obtained in the hyperactive individuals who never took stimulant medication provide an important baseline against which to assess values in hyperactive individuals who did take such medication.