Long-term follow-up study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder across the life span
Final Report Abstract
Recruitment of patients and controls: SP2 continuously recruited patients and controls; the latter were recruited in collaboration with SP7 and 8. We exceeded our initial estimation by far to recruit 840 patients for multi-layered evaluation of adult ADHD until the end of 2009. Epidemiologic investigation: The sample of 915 adults (460 males, 455 females) affected with persistent AADHD is the largest, which has been collected at a single tertiary referral centre. 75.8 % of the patients suffered from at least one co-morbid axis-I disorder in life-time. The most prevalent co-morbid disorders were mood disorders (55.1%), followed by substance use disorder (37.3%), anxiety disorders (28.4%) and eating disorders (9.1%). 50.3% of the affected were males and 49.7% were females. There was no association between number of axis-I disorders and gender (p=0.34). The combined type has the highest prevalence (66.4%) and co-morbidity (76.8%) among the subtypes of AADHD. There are significant associations between AADHD subtype and both gender (p=0.0064) and age (p=0.0051). Sex and subtype-related differences on PD and personality traits were detected. Antisocial PD displayed a lower frequency in females than in males (1.6 vs. 11.0%), while borderline PD was more prevalent in females than in males (21.6 vs. 14.2%). The type C showed the highest co-morbidity with PDs (H-type, 62.1%; I-type, 67.1%; C-type, 74.4%; p=0.0008). Borderline PD is less frequent in H-type (4.5%) than in I-type (13.0%) and C-type (21.3%). Validation of CAARS, German version: The results of a multi-center study, that we took part, demonstrated that the German CAARS is a reliable and cross-culturally valid measure of current ADHD symptoms in adults. Treatment of AADHD with Methylphenidate retard: Placebo-controlled multi-center doubleblind study: Treatment of AADHD with Methylphenidate retard. The study gave evidence that MPH ER treatment in low to moderate doses is effective and safe in the treatment of ADHD in adults. Efficacy measures were clinical and statistically significant and robustly sustained during the 24-week observation period. In this study, no clinical significant effects on blood pressure but a transient increase of the heart rate were found. Results of this study were critical important for the approval of MPH in adult ADHD.
Publications
- (2007) Comorbidity of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with focus on personality traits and related disorders in a tertiary referral center. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 257: 309-17
Jacob C, Romanos J, Dempfle A, Heine M, Windemuth-Kieselbach C, Kruse A, Reif A, Walitza S, Romanos M, Strobel A, Brocke B, Schafer H, Schmidtke A, Böning J, Lesch KP
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-007-0722-6) - (2010) Lack of Gender Differences in Selfand Investigator-Rated Psychopathology in Adult Attention Deficit-/Hyperactivity Disorder. Atten Defic Hyperact Disord 2: 93-101
Retz-Junginger P, Rösler M, Jacob C, Alm B, Retz W
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-010-0024-0) - (2012) PPP2R2C as a candidate gene of a temperament and character trait-based endophenotype of ADHD. Atten Defic Hyperact Disord 4: 145-15
Jacob C, Nguyen TT, Weißflog L, Herrmann M, Liedel S, Zamzow K, Jans T, Renner T, Reichert S, Gross-Lesch S, Lesch KP, Reif A
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-012-0080-8) - (2013) Acetylcholine-metabolizing butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE) copy number and single nucleotide polymorphisms and their role in attention-deficit/hyperactivity syndrome. J Psychiatr Res 47: 1902-1908
Jacob CP, Weber H, Retz W, Kittel-Schneider S, Heupel J, Renner T, Lesch KP, Reif A
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.08.006) - (2014) Internalizing and externalizing behavior in adult ADHD. Atten Defic Hyperact Disord 6: 101-110
Jacob C, Gross-Lesch S, Jans T, Geissler J, Reif A, Dempfle A, Lesch KP
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-014-0128-z) - (2014) Sex- and subtype-related differences of personality disorders (axis II) and personality traits in persistent ADHD. J Atten Disord, Feb 7
Jacob CP, Gross-Lesch S, Reichert S, Geissler J, Jans T, Kittel-Schneider S, Nguyen TT, Romanos M, Reif A, Dempfle A, Lesch KP
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1087054714521293)
