Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in epileptic children.
Gun-Ha Kim1, Ji Yeon Kim, Jung Hye Byeon
1Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Journal of Korean Medical Science
|October 24, 2012
Summary
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prevalence in epileptic children with controlled seizures and no intellectual disability is similar to healthy children. This study found no significant difference in ADHD diagnosis rates between the groups.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently observed in children with epilepsy.
- Previous research suggests a higher prevalence of ADHD in epileptic children compared to the general population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of ADHD in epileptic children with well-controlled seizures and no intellectual disability.
- To compare ADHD rates in this specific epileptic cohort with healthy pediatric controls.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving epileptic children (ages 6-12) with controlled seizures and no intellectual disability, and healthy controls.
- ADHD diagnosis was based on DSM-IV criteria.
- Exclusion criteria included intellectual disability and recent persistent seizures.
Main Results:
- Out of 102 enrolled epileptic children, 6.9% were diagnosed with ADHD.
- The control group had 3.6% ADHD diagnoses (4 of 110).
- No statistically significant difference in ADHD prevalence was found between epileptic children and controls (P=0.29).
Conclusions:
- Epileptic children with well-controlled seizures and normal intellectual functioning do not exhibit a higher prevalence of ADHD compared to the general pediatric population.
- ADHD accompaniment did not vary based on seizure type or epilepsy syndrome in this cohort.
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