To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Reducing the Symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Reflects Behavioural and Social Improvements: Presented at AACAP URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2168B6.htm Doctor's Guide October 31, 2007
By Maria Bishop BOSTON, MA -- October 31, 2007 -- Does reducing the symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as fidgeting, forgetfulness and distractibility, translate to a better quality of life for children? Research presented here at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) suggests that children treated effectively for ADHD experience quantifiable behavioural and social improvements as their ADHD symptoms are reduced -- especially in the areas of self-control and during the problem times, such as first thing in the morning and at end of day. Lead author Jan K. Buitelaar, MD, PhD, Head, Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, presented the findings. It has been hypothesised that specific symptom clusters have a higher strength of association with one functional subscale or component relative to the others, and that a worsening in functioning is usually accompanied by a worsening in symptom severity. In a meta-analysis of two double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week studies conducted during the commercial development of atomoxetine, Dr. Buitelaar and colleagues found a moderately strong correlation between symptomatic and functional measures in 804 children ages 6 to 16 being treated for ADHD. Study One compared the safety and efficacy of treatment with atomoxetine versus methylphenidate and placebo. Study Two compared atomoxetine with placebo. Data for Dr. Buitelaar's analyses were obtained by pooling the results from the 6-week acute-phase periods of the two studies.) A regression analysis indicated specific percentage decreases in symptom severity -- 19.3% in self control; 14% in evening functioning and 11.4% in morning functioning -- that correlated moderately strongly per standard-deviation change in functional outcomes scores (Y-intercept estimate approximately 35.0 for each symptom above). "An assessment of symptom severity [now] can be relied on to provide at least a partial indication of how well a patient is functioning," said Dr. Buitelaar. The symptomatic measure -- the Spadafore ADHD Rating Scale 4 (ADHDRS-IV) -- showed a moderate to high measure of correlation with the Life Participation Scale for ADHD (LPS). A third measure used in a univariate regressions analysis was the Daily Parent Rating of Evening and Morning Behavior (DPREMB-R), a parent-completed daily questionnaire evaluating the child's behaviour during the early morning and late afternoon/evening. The LPS measures social interactions, school performance, emotional expressiveness, problem-solving and self-regulation. The ADHD Rating Scale 4 (ADHDRS-IV) measures fidgeting, difficulty sustaining attention, ability to listen when spoken to directly, failure to finish work, difficulty organizing tasks and activities, avoidance of tasks that require sustained mental effort, easy distractibility and forgetfulness. Dr. Buitelaar noted that one limitation in his analysis was that no indication of the relative time course for these changes could be derived, as measurements of the children's functional states were made only at baseline and at endpoint in both sets of study data. He did suggest, however, that future studies will help to determine more fully the relationship between symptom assessment and function assessment during treatment. Funding for this study was provided by Eli Lilly and Company. [Presentation title: Comparison of Symptomatic Versus Functional Changes in Children and Adolescents With ADHD During Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Treatment: Abstract B52] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.