Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbidity in Brazil: comparisons between two referred samples.

Souza I, Pinheiro MA, Denardin D, Mattos P, Rohde LA.

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the pattern of comorbidity in referred samples of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients from two different geographic areas in Brazil. METHODS: The diagnoses of ADHD and comorbid conditions, according to DSM-IV criteria, were achieved in both clinics through semi-structured interview methodology, complemented by clinical interviews with the children or adolescents and their parents. RESULTS: We assessed 343 ADHD children and adolescents in Porto Alegre (capital of the southernmost state of the country) and 78 ADHD youths in Rio de Janeiro (capital of a southeastern state). Although a significant difference in the prevalence of ADHD without comorbidity was detected between the two groups (p = 0.02), no significant difference was detected in the profile of comorbidities between them. Main ADHD comorbidities in both samples were: a) Oppositional Defiant Disorder (Porto Alegre = 39.1%; Rio de Janeiro = 51.3 %); b) Anxiety Disorders (Porto Alegre = 24.2%; Rio de Janeiro = 30.8 %); c) Conduct Disorder (Porto Alegre = 13.7%; Rio de Janeiro = 17.9 %); and d) Major Depression and/or Dysthymia (Porto Alegre = 11.4%; Rio de Janeiro = 10.3 %). CONCLUSIONS: Our results from clinical samples in a developing country with a diverse culture suggest the crosscultural validity of the ADHD comorbidity profile.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15365895&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_DocSum