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The prevalence of ADHD in children with enuresis: Comparison between a tertiary and non‐tertiary care sample
Author(s) -
Baeyens Dieter,
Roeyers Herbert,
D'Haese Leen,
Pieters Femke,
Hoebeke Piet,
Walle Johan
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2006.tb02237.x
Subject(s) - tertiary care , enuresis , medicine , comorbidity , pediatrics , tertiary level , psychiatry , emergency medicine , psychology , mathematics education
Objective : The main aim of the current study was to determine reliable comorbidity rates of ADHD for enuretic children admitted either to non‐tertiary care or to a specialized paediatric clinic, i.e. tertiary care, since previous research has failed to incorporate a possible setting effect in this comorbidity; and to use a multi‐method multi‐informant assessment of ADHD. Material and methods : Eighty children, aged between 6 and 12 y, admitted to non‐tertiary care with enuresis and 120 children referred to tertiary care were screened for the presence of ADHD using a multi‐method (diagnostic interview, questionnaires) multi‐informant (parents, teachers) assessment. Results : Enuretic children from the tertiary care sample have a 3.4 times increased chance of having comorbid ADHD when compared to children with enuresis admitted to non‐tertiary care, corresponding to a prevalence rate of 28% and 10%, respectively. Overall, the tertiary care sample was older, showed more daytime incontinence and revealed an increasing prevalence of ADHD with older age when compared with the non‐tertiary care group. Conclusion : The prevalence rate of ADHD is increased in an enuretic population compared to community samples (3–5%). Moreover, enuretic children admitted to tertiary care show significantly higher comorbidity than non‐tertiary care patients. The ADHD prevalence in the former group increases with older age, suggesting therapy resistance and a negative prognosis for enuresis in the case of comorbidity.