THYROID-FUNCTION IN A POPULATION OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Objective: To determine the prevalence of thyroid hormone abnormalitie s and generalized resistance to thyroid hormone in a population of chi ldren with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as compared to reference ranges determined from a control population and hence to determine if routine thyroid hormone screening in children with non-f amilial ADHD is indicated. Method: Children attending the State Child Development Centre in Perth, Western Australia with ADHD, as defined b y the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth ed ition) provided the study population. The control population consisted of 353 normal children with a history of allergy in whom radioallergo sorbent (RAST) testing was being performed. Results: The prevalence of thyroid hormone abnormalities in the study population was 2.3% (95% C I 0.6%, 5.7%). There were no cases of generalized resistance to thyroi d hormone. The prevalence of thyroid hormone abnormalities in the gene ral population of children and adolescents has been reported to vary b etween 1 and 3.7%. Conclusion: Routine thyroid hormone screening is no t indicated in children with non-familial ADHD.