BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Drugs used to quell attention deficit disorder are associated with an increased risk of sudden death among children, says a new study.

    Researchers from Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City found that kids given the drugs to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were more than seven times more likely to suddenly die than their peers not taking the drugs.

    The results of the study were published Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

    "What we found -- to our surprise -- is that even if you take out confounding factors, the association between stimulant use and sudden death was still significant," said study author Madelyn Gould.

    "I'm confident the association is real and significant, but it's very rare. I don't want our findings to change prescribing patterns or for a parent to change their willingness to use stimulant medications if they're called for, but physicians should monitor patients with any new medication you give a young person."

    (Agencies)