ArticleDeutsches Arzteblatt international2010
The changing prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and methylphenidate prescriptions: a study of data from a random sample of insurees of the AOK Health Insurance Company in the German State of Hesse, 2000-2007.
Article in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 77 citations in OpenAlex.
- Methylphenidate for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Prescription prevalence of psychotropic drugs in children and adolescents: an analysis of international data.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- Methylphenidate for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents - assessment of adverse events in non-randomised studies.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Mental Health Problems in a School Setting in Children and Adolescents.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2016Pooled it
- Comparing Obstetrical Outcomes Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder: A Population-Based Studys.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Differences in frequency between administrative and parent-reported ADHD diagnosis data of children and adolescents taking sociodemographic characteristics into account - Results from the consortium project INTEGRATE-ADHD.Journal of health monitoring · 2024Article
- Secular trends and regional variations in pharmacotherapy of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children and adolescents in Germany.BMC psychiatry · 2021Article
- Overdiagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Scoping Review.JAMA network open · 2021Article
- Trends in Psychotropic Medication Prescriptions in Urban China From 2013 to 2017: National Population-Based Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Carboxylesterase 1 and Precision Pharmacotherapy: Pharmacogenetics and Nongenetic Regulators.Drug metabolism and disposition: the biological fate of chemicals · 2020Review
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder pharmacotherapy in Slovenian adults: a population-based study.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2018Article
- How Realistic Are the Scientific Assumptions of the Neuroenhancement Debate? Assessing the Pharmacological Optimism and Neuroenhancement Prevalence Hypotheses.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2018Article
- Comparative treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization and costs of atomoxetine and long-acting methylphenidate among children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Germany.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2017Article
- ADHD in Germany: Trends in Diagnosis and Pharmacotherapy.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2017Article
- The Risk of Hospitalizations with Injury Diagnoses in a Matched Cohort of Children and Adolescents with and without Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Germany: A Database Study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2017Article
- Latest trends in ADHD drug prescribing patterns in children in the UK: prevalence, incidence and persistence.BMJ open · 2016Article
- Psychopharmacological Prescriptions in Children and Adolescents in Germany.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2016Article
- Observational
- Pharmacotherapy of ADHD in Slovenia: realities and perspectives.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2016Article
- Neurological adverse effects of methylphenidate may be misdiagnosed as meningoencephalitis.BMJ case reports · 2015Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe goal of this study is to assess changes in the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and methylphenidate prescriptions over the period 2000 to 2007 on the basis of data from a German statutory health insurance carrier.
methodsIn a cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from a random sample of insurees of the AOK health insurance company in the German state of Hesse for the years 2000 to 2007. Per calender year, 50,000 to 63,000 children and adolescents were retrospectively observed with respect to the documentation of ADHD diagnosis (ICD-10 diagnosis F90) and the prescribing of methylphenidate (ATC: N06BA04).
resultsIn 2007, the overall prevalence of ADHD in all age groups (0-18 years) was 2.21% (95% CI: 2.09-2.34). This figure was 45% greater than the corresponding figure for the year 2000. The prevalence increased by a larger amount among girls aged 6 to 18 years than among boys in the same age group (+69% vs. +53%). In 2007, 1.06% (95% CI: 0.98-1.16) of the children/adolescents received at least one prescription for methylphenidate; this was a 96% increase over the prescription rate for 2000. A comparison of the two years 2000 and 2007 reveals a clear prevalence shift towards the older age groups, as well as an 82% increase in the average number of daily doses per recipient. Outpatient departments of child and adolescent psychiatry initiated more treatments in 2007 than in 2000.
conclusionThe 1% prevalence of methylphenidate use among children and adolescents that was found in this study is the same as that reported in other European countries, such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Norway. A drawback of our study is its limitation to a single insurance carrier in a single region. Nonetheless, data of this type are useful for monitoring. The findings suggest further issues worth studying, e.g., off-label use or the indications for treatment in older age groups.
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