SynthesisPloS one2017
Iron Status in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- Serum ferritin in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Guideline
- Peripheral iron levels in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2018Pooled it
- Delayed iron does not alter cognition or behavior among children with severe malaria and iron deficiency.Pediatric research · 2020Trial
- Evaluation of the relationship between vitamin levels and symptom severity in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The lifespan continuum of brain disorders: investigating links between neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease-chicken or egg?Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Review
- Serum ferritin levels in non-anemic children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: associations with clinical presentations and symptom severity.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Assessing the Impact of Serum Ferritin on Life Skills in Children with ADHD.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Alterations in Striatal Architecture and Biochemical Markers' Levels During Postnatal Development in the Rat Model of an Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Iron Deficiency and Sleep/Wake Behaviors: A Scoping Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines-How to Overcome the Current Conundrum?Nutrients · 2024Article
- The association between infantile microcytic anemia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a case-control study.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Iron deficiency in children with a focus on inflammatory conditions.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2024Article
- Serum Biomarker Analysis in Pediatric ADHD: Implications of Homocysteine, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Ferritin, and Iron Levels.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- An Industry-Relevant Metal Mixture, Iron Status, and Reported Attention-Related Behaviors in Italian Adolescents.Environmental health perspectives · 2024Article
- Assessing the mediating role of iron status on associations between an industry-relevant metal mixture and verbal learning and memory in Italian adolescents.The Science of the total environment · 2024Article
- Appraising the role of circulating concentrations of micronutrients in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a Mendelian randomization study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Associations of an industry-relevant metal mixture with verbal learning and memory in Italian adolescents: The modifying role of iron status.Environmental research · 2023Article
- Actigraphy evaluation before and after intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in 3 children with restless sleep disorder.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2023Article
- Serum ferritin levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and tic disorder.World journal of clinical cases · 2022Article
- Quantitative susceptibility mapping shows lower brain iron content in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.Human brain mapping · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in children. However, the pathogenesis of ADHD remains unclear. Iron, an important trace element, is implicated in brain function and dopaminergic activity. Recent studies have investigated the association between iron deficiency and ADHD, but the results are inconsistent.
methodsA systemic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases was supplemented by manual searches of references of key retrieved articles. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. H2 and I2 were used to evaluate the heterogeneity, and sensitivity, subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted to explore the reason of heterogeneity.
resultsThe search yielded 11 studies published before July 25, 2016. Of these, 10 studies, comprising 2191 participants and 1196 ADHD cases, reported serum ferritin levels, and six studies, comprising 617 participants and 369 ADHD cases, reported serum iron levels. Serum ferritin levels were lower in ADHD cases (SMD = -0.40, 95% CI = -0.66 to -0.14). However, we found no correlation between serum iron levels and ADHD (SMD = -0.026, 95% CI = -0.29 to 0.24). Meta-regression analysis indicated that publication year, age, gender, sample size, and Hb levels did not significantly influence the pooled estimates of serum ferritin.
conclusionLower serum ferritin rather than serum iron is associated with ADHD in children.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.