A recent study shows that injuries suffered by very young children are very strongly linked to a later diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The study was carried out in the United Kingdom and involved 62,000 children. The conclusion was that head injuries and burn injuries before the little ones are 2 year old double the risk of ADHD diagnosis by the time the babies turn 10. Injuries in general boost that risk.

The researchers who published their findings in the British Medical Journal said the study proves that there is a strong link between head injury and ADHD, but they haven’t established yet which comes first.

The rates of ADHD diagnosis were higher in the children who suffered head injuries that in those who suffered burn injury. The data used in the study was collected from more than 300 general practices in the UK from between 1988 to 2003.

The study shows that the children who do develop ADHD before the age of 10 are more likely to exhibit more risk-taking behaviors in their early years, making them more likely to experience injuries.

"The head injury itself does not seem to be causal in the development of ADHD," study leader Professor Heather Keenan, from the University of Utah, said.

"Rather, some other factor seems to be associated generally with early injury and the development of ADHD," he added.

According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines, the risk factors for this disease have a high probability of interacting. However, the debate over the main cause of ADHD is still on.