ADHD more likely to develop in epileptic children

Nutrition Health Review, Summer, 2004

ICELAND--Epileptic children are more likely to develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) more frequently than expected--an association that has sometimes been attributed to epilepsy treatments.

Recently, researchers conducted a population-based case-control study of all newly diagnosed seizures among Icelandic children under the age of 16. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children was used to diagnose ADHD in the children.

ADHD was 2.5 times more common among children with new occurrences of seizures than in those without.

(Source: Archives of General Psychiatry. 2004; 61: 731-736.)