Prevalencia de alergias en niños entre 5 y 14 años con trastorno de déficit de atención e hiperactividad. Medellín, 2012

Introduction: Allergic diseases and attention deficit disorder are both common in pediatric population. Several authors had suggested an association between this two disorders. Objectives: To establish the prevalence of allergies in children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and their clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. Children included in the study were patients in the neurologic practice of the authors. Materials and Methods: Descriptive prospective study of cross-section studies with a non-random sample and consecutive case selection. Between June and December 2012, 113 children who met the study eligibility criteria were interviewed using a questionnaire that included clinical and socio-demographic variables related to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and allergies. Results: Among the 113 patients interviewed, the most common allergic disease was Allergic Rhinitis, which accounted for 37.2% of the cases, followed by asthma, which accounted for 31.9%. Asthma presents a higher prevalence in patients with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. Atopic Dermatitis was present in 8.8% of the cases and Food Allergy in 2.7%. In an exploratory study, children with Atopic Dermatitis were the only ones who presented a significant association with Insomnia (OR 4.23; CI 95%, 1.06-16; p=0.02). Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma was greater in those patients with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder than in those reported in population studies. For other types of allergies, this prevalence was similar.