title: A prospective observational study of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in Asia: baseline characteristics of symptom severity and treatment options in a paediatric population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To better understand the burden and management of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in East Asia, this subanalysis of the baseline characteristics of a large prospective, observational, nonrandomized study investigating the relationships between symptom severity, treatments, co-morbidities, and health outcomes provides information about the diagnosis of, and treatment patterns for, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in this region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms participated in this 12-month study performed in China, Korea, and Taiwan. Patients were grouped according to whether they received conventional treatment or no or other treatment. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom severity and co-morbidities were assessed using the Clinical Global Impressions-Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-Severity scale and Child Symptom Inventory-4: Parent Checklist (categories B to J) / Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4: Parent Checklist (categories L and O), respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 502 patients aged 6 to 18 years were enrolled. Investigators were psychiatrists (69%) and paediatricians (31%), who used the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (86%), the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (6%), and other attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnostic criteria (8%) for diagnosis. Pharmacotherapy was the most commonly prescribed treatment (n = 251; 50%), and treated patients were older (9.1 vs. 8.2 years; p < 0.001) and more severely ill (Clinical Global Impressions-Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- Severity scale, 4.6 vs. 4.2; p < 0.001) than those who were not treated. Anxiety and oppositional co-morbidities were commonly reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data provide an insight into the demographics, diagnosis, and treatment of paediatric patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in East Asia, and provide a baseline for assessing changes in treatment practices in this population.
authors.affiliation: Lilly Research Laboratories, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. martenyife@lilly.com
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martényi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Treuer