Epidemiology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Epidemiology, including details on twin studies, statistics, environmental and genetic factors.

Epidemiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder across the lifespan.

Polanczyk G, Rohde LA

ADHD Outpatient Program, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Division, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Prevalence estimates of the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the rate of persistence of symptoms across the lifespan are heterogeneous, raising questions about the validity of the diagnosis. This review aims to discuss potential reasons for variability in ADHD prevalence estimates and rates of symptom persistence, as well as to present ADHD prevalence rates during the lifespan. RECENT FINDINGS: The best available estimates of ADHD prevalence are around 5.29% for children and adolescents and 4.4% in adulthood. Estimates of ADHD prevalence and rate of symptom persistence over time seem to be highly affected by methodological characteristics of the studies. SUMMARY: The review of ADHD epidemiology highlights the need for standardizing study methodologies to make findings comparable. Even so, epidemiological cross-national data seem to support the validity of ADHD.

Published 6 June 2007 in Curr Opin Psychiatry, 20(4): 386-92.
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