Iron and Ferritin Levels of Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified

Abstract

Aim: The study aimed to compare the levels of iron and ferritin in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (ADHD-NOS) and to assess the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and anxiety symptom severity with iron and ferritin levels. Materials and Methods: This study was planned as a cross-sectional, retrospective study. The study was performed by scanning the records of patients who applied to our clinic between January 2012 and January 2013. Accordingly, 205 ADHD and ADHD-NOS case records were evaluated. Patients were diagnosed clinically according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria. ADHD symptom severity was assessed by the Turgay DSM-IV-TR-Based Child and Adolescent Behavior Disorders Screening and Rating scale. Anxiety symptom severity was assessed by The Screen for Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders. Results: Among the whole sample, 99 (48.3\%) patients had ADHD and 106 (51.7\%) had ADHD-NOS. In the ADHD group, the average age of the children was 10.88 +/- 3.02 years, while that of the children in the ADHD-NOS group was 9.93 +/- 2.49 years. Iron and ferritin were measured in 81 of the 205 patients participating in the study. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of iron or ferritin levels (p>0.05). Statistically significant negative correlations between ADHD hyperactivity symptom severity and iron levels, and ADHD attention deficit symptom severity and ferritin levels were found. Ferritin levels correlated statistically with the total number of psychiatric diagnoses in the children. Conclusion: Iron and ferritin levels may be differentially affected in children with ADHD. The results we obtained from our study should be supported by studies with larger samples.