title: Epileptiform abnormalities in children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: The frequency of epileptiform abnormalities (EAs) and correlates of EAs in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was investigated in a retrospective study. The total sample consisted of 607 children with ADHD from the only center diagnosing and treating ADHD in the region. EEGs were obtained in 517 cases, and EAs were found in 39 (7.5%) children. Of these, 21(53.9%) showed generalized EAs, 16 (41%) had focal EAs, and 2 (5.1%) had both. Rolandic spikes were observed in 9 cases (1.7% of the total group). A previous history of epileptic seizures was reported in 14 (2.5%) children, and was more common in those with EAs than in those without. The group with ADHD and EAs had a larger proportion of girls and the ADHD inattentive subtype, independent of a history of epilepsy. Future research should focus on the clinical consequences of EAs in children with ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Division of Psychiatry, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway. dso@sus.no, socanski@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Dobrinko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Socanski
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herigstad
authors.forename: Per Hove
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: Aarsland
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dag
authors.forename: Tor Ketil
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Larsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013223:Statistics as Topic