Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: burden of the disease according to subtypes in recently diagnosed children

Abstract

Introduction. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with deterioration of several dimensions of quality of life (QoL) and with the development of comorbid psychiatric disorders. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the burden of illness of AND subtypes in untreated newly diagnosed children in Spain.

Methods. We recruited 124 children (80 combined, 25 inattentive and 19 hyperactive-impulsive subtype) aged 6-12 years with untreated newly diagnosed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th) edition (DSM-IV) ADHD. We collected socio-demographic, clinical (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale [ADHD-RS], Conner's Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short From [CPRS:R-S], Clinical Global Impression-Severity [CGI-S], Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), intelligence Quotient [IQ]), Quality of Life (QoL) (Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50 [CHQ-PF50]), academic performance and health care resources utilization data. We investigated the correlations between AND symptom severity and QoL, academic performance and time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis.

Results. QoL of children with combined-type AND was rated as significantly worse in patients with predominance of hyperactivivity/impulsivity for most of the domains. Inattentive-type children also had worse ratings than patients with hyperactivity/impulsivity predominance in most of the domains.

The ADHD Index of Conner's Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form (CPRS-R:S) was significantly lower in hyperactive/impulsive patients. We found no differences across subtypes in IQ, academic performance and health care resources utilization. Higher AND symptom severity was associated to poor QoL.

Conclusions. Combined and inattentive subtypes are associated with greater disorder severity, more comorbid psychiatric disorders, and worse QoL than the subtype with hyperactivity/impulsivity predominance.