FREQUENCY, CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CO-MORBIDITIES OF ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER PRESENTING TO A CHILD PSYCHIATRIC CLINIC AT A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Objective: This study was aimed to describe the frequency, gender ratio, clinical characteristics and co
morbidities of ADHD in Pakistani population.
Design: Descriptive study
Place and duration of study: Department of Psychiatry of Aga Khan University Karachi from June 2002
to June 2004.
Subjects and Methods: We reviewed the case records of 166 consecutive referrals at our child psychiatric
clinics during the above mentioned time period .
Results: Clinical notes of 166 patients presenting to child psychiatric clinic from July 2002 to July 2004
were reviewed. Sixty three (34%) children were diagnosed with ADHD. Gender ratio was 1 to 5 for
females to males. Females presented more with in-attentive type of disorder as opposed to males who
had more hyper-active, impulsive symptamatology. One third of the sample had co morbid psychiatric
illnesses. Mental retardation and depression was more prevalent in our sample. Developmental
abnormalities were also reported in one third of the cases. Family history of psychiatric illness was
present in 50 % of cases.
Conclusion: The syndrome of ADHD has broadly similar prevalence, clinical characteristics and co
morbidities in clinical population in Pakistan to that reported in the literature from studies in Western
countries.
Key words: ADHD, Child psychiatry, Pakistan.