Glyphosate use predicts healthcare utilization for ADHD in the healthcare cost and utilization project net (HCUPnet): A two-way fixed-effects analysis

Abstract

There has been considerable international study on the etiology of rising mental disorders, such as ADHD, in human populations. As glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide in the world, we sought to test the hypothesis that glyphosate use in agriculture may be a contributing environmental factor to the increase in healthcare utilization among individuals with diagnosed ADHD. State estimates for glyphosate use and nitrogen fertilizer use were obtained from the USGS. We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project net (HCUPNET) for state-level hospitalization discharge diagnosis data on all patients for all-listed ADHD cases from 2007 to 2010. The least squares dummy variable (LSDV) method and within the method using two-way fixed effects was used to elucidate the relationship between glyphosate use and all-listed ADHD hospital discharge diagnoses. A 1-kg increase in glyphosate use in one year positively predicts state-level all-listed ADHD discharge diagnoses the following year (coefficient = 5.54E-08, p