Gastrointestinal symptoms in pediatric patients with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders

BACKGROUND: Only a few studies have addressed the subject of physical manifestations in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and gastrointestinal (GI) complaints, although pharmacological treatments for ADHD may have GI symptoms as a main side effect. AIM: The goal of this study was to assess whether children with ADHD have a higher frequency of GI symptoms compared with healthy children in the general population. METHOD: The study group included 62 children with ADHD and 57 healthy children as a control group. The childrens' parents were asked to report on abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, encopresis, food intolerance or allergy. Height, weight and the medical data of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: A higher frequency of food allergies was found in the ADHD group, but the relationship was at near significant levels only (p = 0.06), and open to criticism. CONCLUSION: This study showed no obvious correlation between GI symptoms and ADHD in Israeli children.