Increased Alopecia Areata Risk in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Impact of Methylphenidate Use: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Hsing-Ying Ho, Chih-Kai Wong, Szu-Yuan Wu, Ray C. Hsiao, Yi-Lung Chen and Cheng-Fang Yen
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Hsing-Ying Ho: Department of Healthcare Administration, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
Chih-Kai Wong: Department of Dermatology, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 10449, Taiwan
Szu-Yuan Wu: Department of Healthcare Administration, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
Ray C. Hsiao: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Yi-Lung Chen: Department of Healthcare Administration, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
Cheng-Fang Yen: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-7

Abstract: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that causes sudden hair loss. Although few studies have reported the association between AA and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the impact of methylphenidate (MPH) on AA has not been examined. This study examined whether AA risk is higher in children with ADHD than in those without ADHD as well as the impact of MPH use on AA risk in children with ADHD. From the Taiwan Maternal and Child Health Database, we enrolled all 1,750,456 newborns from 2004 to 2017 in Taiwan. Of them, 90,016 children received a diagnosis of ADHD whereas the remaining 1,660,440 did not. To compare AA risk in ADHD and the impact of MPH treatment on it, multiple Cox regression with adjustments for covariates (i.e., age, sex, and psychiatric comorbidities) was performed. The results indicated that 88 (0.098%) children with ADHD and 1191 (0.072%) children without ADHD had AA. Nevertheless, after adjustment for the covariates, AA risk was higher in children with ADHD than in those without ADHD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–1.64). Our data indicated a considerable reduction in AA risk (aHR: 0.64) among children with ADHD who received MPH than among those who did not receive MPH; however, this difference was nonsignificant, indicated by a wide 95% CI (0.32–1.25). In conclusion, ADHD and AA may share some underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: alopecia areata; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; methylphenidate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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