Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Its Pharmacotherapy, and Adrenal Gland Dysfunction: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Taiwan

Pin-Han Peng, Meng-Yun Tsai, Sheng-Yu Lee, Po-Cheng Liao, Yu-Chiau Shyu and Liang-Jen Wang
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Pin-Han Peng: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan
Meng-Yun Tsai: Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan
Sheng-Yu Lee: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan
Po-Cheng Liao: Community Medicine Research Center, Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung 204, Taiwan
Yu-Chiau Shyu: Community Medicine Research Center, Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung 204, Taiwan
Liang-Jen Wang: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: This study aims to examine the co-occurrence rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and adrenal gland disorders, as well as whether pharmacotherapy may affect ADHD patients’ risk of developing adrenal gland disorder. One group of patients newly diagnosed with ADHD ( n = 75,247) and one group of age- and gender-matching controls ( n = 75,247) were chosen from Taiwan′s National Health Insurance database during the period of January 1999 to December 2011. Both patients and controls were monitored through December 31, 2011, in order to identify the occurrence of adrenal gland disorders (ICD-9-CM code 255.X). We also explored the potential effect of methylphenidate (MPH) and atomoxetine (ATX) treatments on the risk of developing adrenal gland disorders. We found that ADHD patients showed a significantly increased probability of developing an adrenal gland disorder compared to the control group (0.2% of ADHD vs. 0.1% of controls). However, neither MPH nor ATX treatment significantly influenced the patients’ risk of developing adrenal gland dysfunction. We propose that patients with ADHD had greater comorbid rates with adrenal gland dysfunction than the control subjects. Nevertheless, undergoing treatment with MPH or ATX did not significantly influence the risk of developing adrenal gland dysfunction among ADHD patients.

Keywords: ADHD; comorbidity; adrenal gland dysfunction; epidemiology; pharmacotherapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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