A 24-Month Effects of Methylphenidate Use on Growth in Children and Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) on height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in drug-naive children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) over 24 months. The secondary objective was to investigate whether the age of MPH initiation and sex act as risk factors for growth retardation. Methods A total of 82 patients with ADHD were included. Weight, height, and BMI were measured at baseline and every 6 months up to 24 months. Weight, height, and BMI data were converted to z-scores and analyzed using two-way repeated-measures ANOVA and multiple linear regression. Results The z-score of height, weight and BMI decreased from the baseline values. The z-scores of height were at baseline 0.002; 6 months -0.100; 12 months -0.159; 18 months -0.159; 24 months -0.186. The z-scores of weight were at baseline 0.104; 6 months -0.155; 12 months -0.256; 18 months -0.278; 24 months -0.301. Here were no age and sex differences of height, weight, and BMI. Conclusion The use of MPH was associated with attenuation of weight and height gain rates in children and adolescents with ADHD.     

Sex and Age Differences in Psychiatric Disorders among Children and Adolescents: High-Risk Students Study

Objective

The aims of the present study are to investigate the rate of the psychiatric disorders in psychiatrically high-risk children and adolescents and to examine sex and age differences in the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.

Methods

The participants included students aged 6-16 from the 27 elementary and the 45 middle schools in Busan, Korea. We screened psychopathology using the Korean version of Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) or the Youth Self Report (K-YSR). A total of 2,912 students were selected as high-risk students on the basis of cut-off scores (T-score ≥60) for a total behavior problem score of K-CBCL/K-YSR. Of these high-risk students, 1,985 students participated in and completed individual diagnostic interviews. Psychiatric diagnosis was assessed using a Korean version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine sex and age differences of psychiatric diagnosis.

Results

Based on sex, boys were more likely to have ADHD and girls were more likely to have depression. Based on age, children were more likely to have ADHD and adolescents were more likely to have affective disorder, conduct disorder, psychotic disorder, and anxiety disorders except separation anxiety disorder.

Conclusion

This is the largest study to conduct face-to-face interviews with subjects and parent(s) among Korean studies in this field. The present study revealed significant differences across sex and age among specific psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Future population-based studies will be required to ascertain the sex- and age-related differences of psychiat prevalence.     

Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents with HIV/AIDS

We could not have predicted that HIV/AIDS would become one of our greatest public health challenges worldwide when the first cases were identified in the 1980s. More than 22 million people have died from the disease, and HIV is now the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States among 15- to 24-year-olds. At the beginning of this pandemic, most HIV infections of youth were acquired congenitally. Prenatal screening of pregnant women, early detection, and antiretroviral therapies have reduced mother-to-child transmission. Children born with HIV infections are now young adults living with HIV, while other adolescents are acquiring HIV primarily through high-risk behaviors. Associations between psychiatric symptoms and poor health outcomes have been recognized among adults. Few studies have examined these factors among youth. We review what is known about psychiatric syndromes among HIV-positive youth, and their treatments.     

Long-Term Neuropsychological Consequences of Maternal Epilepsy and Anticonvulsant Treatment During Pregnancy for School-Age Children and Adolescents

PURPOSE: Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are potential teratogenic agents. The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term effects of intrauterine AED exposure on neurologic and psychological functioning. METHODS: Of a prospective study, "Epilepsy, pregnancy, and child development," children could be retraced at school age and adolescence. Sixty-seven were born to mothers with epilepsy [no drugs during pregnancy (n = 13), monotherapy (n = 31), polytherapy (n = 23)]; 49 were nonafflicted control children. Assessments included an intelligence test (Wechsler), a neurologic examination (Touwen), and an EEG. Data analyses were performed, controlling for parental social status, type of maternal drug therapy and drug dosage, type of epilepsy, frequency of seizures during pregnancy, the original subgroups, and specific drug effects. RESULTS: Type of maternal epilepsy and type and kind of AED therapy, but not maternal seizures during pregnancy correlated with an increase in abnormal EEG patterns. Minor neurologic dysfunction was diagnosed, with increased frequency from the control to the risk/no drug or monotherapy to the polytherapy group. The compromised intelligence score of the polytherapy group was primarily due to those children who had been exposed to primidone (PRM). Level of IQ was negatively associated with PRM dosage. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal epilepsy and AED therapy during pregnancy appear to have long-term effects on the offspring well into adolescence, as evinced in EEG patterns, minor neurologic dysfunction, and intellectual performance. Severity of effects increased from control group to epilepsy/no-drug group to monotherapy group and was most marked in the polytherapy group. These group differences are assumed to reflect differential neural vulnerability to social and family factors.     

Needs Assessment of Children and Adolescents

Needs assessment is a frequently used term by all agencies involved in the welfare of children and adolescents, and is a key method in health service planning (Stevens & Raftery, 1994). However, there is often a lack of clarity about the meaning of the phrase 'needs assessment' (Cohen & Eastman, 1997). In addition, for CAMHS services there are few established research or clinical instruments to assess the needs of individuals. This review sets out first to describe some key concepts and issues and, second, to describe the development of a needs assessment instrument for adolescents with complex and multiple problems, and how such an instrument can be used in clinical and research settings.     

Neuroendocrine‐Related Adverse Events Associated with Antidepressant Treatment in Children and Adolescents

There is only limited community‐based practice safety information available regarding antidepressant use in pediatric patients. This study identifies the factors associated with incident neuroendocrine‐related metabolic, digestive, and sexual/reproductive adverse events in children and adolescents treated with antidepressants. A retrospective cohort design evaluating Medicaid medical and pharmacy claims between January, 1996 and December, 2005 was employed for 11970 children and adolescents prescribed an antidepressant medication, and a random sample of 4500 children not treated with psychotropic medications. Incident obesity/weight gain, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia were more likely for those prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (OR = 1.49; 1.37; 1.44), whereas Type 2 diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia were more likely for those prescribed weight‐inducing antidepressants (ORs = 1.26; 1.24), and those with pre‐existing endocrinopathies (ORs = 3.96; 1.90), controlling for the effects of co‐prescribed mood stabilizers or antipsychotics. Incident nausea/vomiting was less likely for those taking SSRIs (OR = 0.78). Females and children under 12 years of age were more likely to develop these adverse effects. Practitioners need to carefully consider the neuroendocrine‐ related adverse effects of SSRI antidepressant agents in particular, especially in individuals with comorbid endocrine conditions, and those co‐prescribed other classes of psychotropic medications.     

Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children

ObjectThis study examines the validity and reliability of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) in the Turkish language.MethodThis scale was translated into the Turkish language by applying the translation-back translation method and content validity analysis. A total of 1903 participants aged 5–15 years were included in the study. A sociodemographic data form, SDSC, and the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) were filled by the parents. Internal consistency analysis, correlation analysis, test-retest analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to evaluate the reliability and validity of the applied scale.ResultsThe internal consistency of the scale was high (Cronbach α = 0.84). Test-retest reliability was found to be high as well. According to the confirmatory factor analysis, the Turkish version of the scale was compatible with the model of the original scale. According to the T-score evaluation, the frequency of sleep disorders was determined to be 4.15%, and the most common sleep disorder was sleep hyperhidrosis. Correlations between the scores of the SDSC and CSHQ were at a satisfactory level.ConclusionsThese results revealed that the SDSC is a valid and reliable scale that can be used in children aged 5–14 years in Turkey to question sleep disorder symptoms.     

Prevalence of the Epilepsies in Children and Adolescents

The prevalence of epilepsy in children and adolescents from birth through age 19 years was determined for residents of two counties in central Oklahoma. Cases, identified from hospitals, clinics, private physicians' offices, and EEG laboratory and emergency room records, numbered 1,159, yielding a prevalence rate of 4.71 per 1,000. The prevalence was highest in children aged 1-4 years. Overall, males had a slightly higher prevalence rate than females (M:F = 1.1). However, the male/female ratio varied by age, with the group aged less than 1 year having the highest ratio (M:F = 1.5), and by type of epilepsy, with males having higher rates of simple partial epilepsy (M:F = 1.8) and infantile spasms (M:F = 1.5). The prevalence of epilepsy was higher in blacks than in whites. Differences in prevalence by race were confined primarily to generalized epilepsies (B:W = 1.8). The most common types of epilepsy were tonic, clonic, and tonic-clonic (1.14 per 1,000), complex partial (0.39 per 1,000), and partial seizures secondarily generalized (0.33 per 1,000). Approximately 70% of cases were considered idiopathic. Among the presumed causes were perinatal factors (7%), trauma (4%), central nervous system (CNS) infection (3%), and congenital/developmental factors (3). Sixty-five percent of cases had at least one additional medical problem. The most common types of comorbidity were motor handicap (13%) and developmental delay (24%).