Anthropometric changes in non-medicated ADHD boys (original) (raw)
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ADHD and growth: anthropometric changes in medicated and non-medicated ADHD boys
… medical journal of …, 2009
AHDH children can show changes in growth and development. Many studies describe these changes as a side effect of stimulant medication. However, changes in somatic development can also appear n non-medicated children. This suggests that the changes could be a manifestation of the disorder itself and not just a side effect of the treatment.
Objective: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in children. According to concern regarding the growth of these children, this study was carried out to compare height and weight between 5-6-year-old boys with ADHD and those without ADHD in Ahvaz, Iran Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 32 5-6-year-old ADHD boys with the Conners' rating scale (CRS) of ≥ 15 were compared to 32 non-ADHD same-age boys with CRS of < 15. Exclusion criteria were some special disease with negative effect on growth and psychostimulant treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) curves were used to determine the growth status. Results: Comparison between ADHD and non-ADHD boys regarding mean height (111.95 ± 6.12 vs. 110.77 ± 6.22 cm), weight (19.39 ± 3.65 vs. 19.19 ± 3.75), and body mass index (15.44 ± 1.82 vs. 15.54 ± 1.67) showed no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusion: Our study does not support an association between problems in growth outcomes and ADHD in 5-6 years old boys Declaration of Interest: Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences financially supported this study.
Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2015
Objective: Previous studies have associated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with growth deviations and obesity. However, available data regarding the growth of children with ADHD in their early childhood are insufficient. Therefore, we aimed to examine whether there are differences in body size between preschool boys with and without ADHD. Methods: The study used cross-sectional and retrospective longitudinal data concerning 112 boys with ADHD and a community-based sample of 308 boys without ADHD. The groups were homogeneous in terms of socioeconomic status, place of residence, term of birth, and birth weight. The average age of diagnosis was 8.3 years, and none of boys had been treated with stimulants before they were 7 years of age. Comparisons were made at the ages of 2, 4, and 6 years, for World Health Organization (WHO)-norm-standardized height, weight, body mass index (BMI), prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity. Separate analysis were made for the cross-sectional measurements of current body size. Results: Boys with ADHD at the age of 2 had significantly lower z scores for weight (t =-1.98, p = 0.04) and BMI (t =-2.09, p = 0.04), and at the age of 4 for weight (t =-2.05, p = 0.04) than the boys from the control group. A significantly lower percentage of overweight/obesity was observed in boys with ADHD at the age of 2 in comparison with the control group. At the age of 6, boys with ADHD were underweight more often. Cross-sectional analysis of current body size showed that boys with ADHD had lower z scores for height (t =-3.08, p = 0.002) and higher z scores (t = 3.13, p = 0.002) for BMI. Overweight was more frequent in this group. Conclusions: Preschool boys with ADHD (age of 2-6 years) have a tendency toward lower body weight than their peers. But in subsequent phases of development, they are shorter and more frequently overweight than boys without ADHD, when place of residence, socioeconomic status, term of birth, birth weight, comorbid conditions, and treatment are controlled.
ADHD and growth: questions still unanswered
Neuro endocrinology letters, 2014
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorders. It is manifested in every part of an affected child's behavior, with multiple symptomatology and heterogenous etiology. Published studies report that ADHD children may show changes in growth and development. Most of the studies on ADHD have been focused on connections between medication and growth changes and describe growth delays associated with medication. However, recent research results point to the low significance of the changes accompanying pharmacological treatment. Changes in growth may not only be a secondary effect of the treatment, but may also be specific characteristics of ADHD.
Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2015
Children and adolescents with ADHD treated with central stimulants (CS) often have growth deficits, but the implications of such treatment for final height and stature remain unclear. Weight and height were assessed multiple times in 410 children and adolescents during long-term treatment with CS, which lasted between 0.9 and 16.1 years. Weight and height measures were converted to z-scores based on age- and sex-adjusted population tables. CS treatment was associated with (1) a relative reduction in body weight and a temporary halt in growth, (2) a weight and height lag after 72 months compared with relative baseline values. No relation to early start of medication (<6 years), gender, comorbid ODD/CD or emotional disorders was observed. Treatment with central stimulants for ADHD impacts growth in children and adolescents, and growth should be continuously monitored in patients on chronic treatment with these medications.
ADHD and overweight in boys: cross-sectional study with birth weight as a controlled factor
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2014
Population studies indicate a strong relationship between birth weight (BW) and body size in later life. However, BW as a variable was never accounted for in studies on the relationship between attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and overweight. This study aims to assess the relationship between ADHD and overweight with control of birth weight and other confounding factors. Prevalence of overweight was compared in clinical sample of 219 boys with ADHD and 396 boys without ADHD, aged 6-18 years. The following factors were controlled: BW, parents income and education level, place of residence, ADHD type, selected comorbid disorders and stimulant treatment. Overweight and obesity were diagnosed according to the criteria proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between ADHD and the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Boys with ADHD differed significantly from the control group in distribution of low BW (8.2 vs. 3.0 %, v 2 = 8.23, p = 0.02). Low BW was associated with a lower prevalence of overweight than normal and high BW (0 vs. 12.14 %, v 2 = 4.12, p = 0.04). Overweight was observed significantly more often in boys with ADHD (17.3 vs. 8.3 %, v 2 = 11.23, p \ 0.001) even after adjustment for BW and other variables (OR = 2.44, 95 % CI 1.38-4.29, p = 0.002) and after controlling for ADHD type, stimulant treatment and selected comorbid disorders. Independently to applied analysis, obesity was not associated with ADHD. Lower birth weight is over twice more often observed in boys with ADHD than in control group. Although this phenomenon may reduce the rate of overweight in the studied group, ADHD remains strongly associated with increased prevalence of overweight.
Effect of stimulants on growth of ADHD children: A critical review
ANS: The Journal for Neurocognitive …, 2009
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorders manifested in almost every part of children's behavior. The most common treatment of ADHD is medication with stimulants, by specific amphetamine and methylphenidate. It is known that the treatment by stimulants may be accompanied by side effects from among decrease of appetite or changes in development as growth suppression and loss of weight which may present very serious phenomenon. Although many studies have monitored changes in growth and weight during medication, they did not provide definite results that the growth and weight suppression are caused by medication or not. According to many studies the height deficit is approximately amounted to 1 cm/year during the first 3 years of the treatment and can be clinically serious. Contrary to these findings some authors reported that the growth or weight changes can be a natural symptom of ADHD and not just a consequence of medication. The present article reviews key studies monitoring changes in parameters of growth in medicated children with ADHD, compares their results and suggest methodology improvements for further studies.
Journal of Babol University of Medical Sciences, 2015
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in children. Nutritional deficiency may play a role in the etiology of this disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the nutritional status (dietary intake and anthropometric indices) of boys with and without ADHD. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 36 boys with ADHD (case group) and 37 normal children (control group), aged 6-12 years. The case subjects were assesssed by an expert psychiatrist via clinical evaluations and psychiatric questionnaires. Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) of the subjects were measured. Dietary intake was recorded, using a three-day food record (three non-consecutive days including one holiday and two weekdays) and analyzed using Nutritionist IV software. FINDINGS: The mean weight, height, and BMI values were higher in children with ADHD, compared to the control group (p<0.05); the mean±SD of...
BMC Pediatrics, 2011
Background: Empirical evidence suggests that prenatal growth is associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its symptoms. Data on the importance of postnatal growth is, however scanty. We studied whether pre-and postnatal growth up to 56 months is associated with symptoms of ADHD in children. Method: A longitudinal regional birth cohort study comprising 893 children followed up to 56 months. The associations between pre-and postnatal growth and parent-rated ADHD symptoms of the child were analyzed with multiple linear regression analyses and repeated-measures analyzes of covariance. Results: Children born lighter, thinner, shorter, and with a smaller head circumference, adjusted for length of gestation, received higher parent-rated ADHD symptoms scores at 56 months. Further, smaller head circumference throughout the period of growth from birth up to 56 months was related to higher ADHD symptoms scores. The associations changed only little after adjusting for several pre-and neonatal factors. The associations were not modified by sex and there were no evidence of non-linear associations. Conclusions: Slower prenatal growth in weight, body-mass index, length, and head circumference may pose a risk for higher ADHD symptoms in childhood. The consistently smaller head circumference from birth up to 56 months characterizing children with higher ADHD symptoms may point to a lack of catch-up growth in head circumference in childhood as a predisposing factor.