Abstracts

RATIONALE: The purpose of this study was to examine the temporal relationship and frequency of seizure occurrence in children previously diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). METHODS:Follow-up interviews were conducted with parents of children (n=130) who had been diagnosed with ADHD by a developmental pediatrician four years previously. Mean age of the children was 8 years, 1 month at the time of diagnosis, male to female ratio was 2:1, and racial composition included 81% Caucasian children and 19% African-American children. To be included in the study, the child's diagnosis had to include evidence of clinically elevated ADHD symptoms in both home and school environments as reflected on standardized behavioral rating scales. After consent to participate was obtained, parents were interviewed concerning history of febrile seizures, history of afebrile seizures, sequence of occurrence of any seizures in relation to the diagnosis of ADHD, length of time between seizures and ADHD diagnosis, treatment for seizures, and seizure type. RESULTS:Based on parental response, 93% of the children had never experienced a provoked or unprovoked seizure prior to or following the ADHD diagnosis. Febrile seizures were reported for 2% of the children, and 2% had been diagnosed and treated for epilepsy prior to the diagnosis of ADHD. Provoked seizures were reported for 1.5% of the children, resulting from a severe head injury in one child and viral meningitis in the other. Following the diagnosis of ADHD, 1.5% of the children had been treated for epilepsy. One of these children had developmental delay and the other had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, both high risk conditions for the development of seizures. CONCLUSIONS:Within the first four years following the diagnosis of ADHD, results did not suggest an increased risk of unprovoked seizures in children who have no associated developmental diagnoses, such as cerebral palsy or mental retardation.