title: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis, co-morbidities, treatment patterns, and quality of life in a pediatric population in central and eastern Europe and Asia.
abstract: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often poorly understood, and treatment practices are variable. This 12-month, prospective, observational study provides information about the diagnosis, co-morbidities, treatment patterns, and quality of life (QOL) of patients aged 6-17 years with ADHD symptoms from eastern Asia and central and eastern Europe. Here, we present baseline data for the 1068 enrolled and eligible patients in the study (median age 8 years, 82.2% male). Patients were grouped into two cohorts based on whether they were prescribed psycho- and/or pharmacotherapy (n = 794) or not (n = 274) at study entry. On average, patients receiving treatment were significantly older (9.1 vs. 8.4 years, p < 0.001), more severely ill (Clinical Global Impressions [CGI]-ADHD-S, 4.6 vs. 4.2, p < 0.001; Child Symptom Inventory-4 Parent Checklist (CSI-4) ADHD:C, 35.2 vs. 31.9, p < 0.001), and had significantly higher CSI-4 symptom severity scores relating to various co-morbidities than patients not receiving treatment. At study initiation, patient's health-related QOL was significantly impaired as measured on the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition (CHIP-CE) rating scale, with significantly more impairment in the treated group of patients for the Comfort, Risks Avoidance, and Achievement domains. These results provide a description of ADHD and treatment practices in these regions and establish a baseline for gauging changes over time in the study sample.
authors.affiliation: 1 Lilly Research Laboratories , Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martényi
authors.forename: Tamas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Treuer
authors.forename: Susan Shur-Fen
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Gau
authors.forename: Sungdo David
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Mária
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palaczky
authors.forename: Ján
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suba
authors.forename: Mircea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiberiu
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uhlíková
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zoroğlu
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Gadow
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: Gavan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044382:Population Groups; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome