Potential barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disease (ADHD) in middle-income countries are imperative to minimize the risk of negative consequences from the disorder, according to a new study published in The Lancet.
Globally, the multinational study found that medication consumption for ADHD increased by 9.72 percent per year, from 1.19 Defined Daily Dose/ter in die or three times a day (DDD/TID) in 2015 to 1.43 DDD/TID in 2019, in 64 countries. represents about 62.4 percent of the world’s population.
The results also showed clear differences between geographic locations.
In 2019, the study said, pooled use of ADHD medications was highest in North America (111.93 DDD/TID), followed by Oceania (34.52 DDD/TID), Western Europe (17.37 DDD /TID) and Northern Europe (11.72 DDD/TID). TID).
Consumption of ADHD medications was much lower in all other regions, with less than 10 DDD/TID, despite upward trends between 2015 and 2019, the study found.
When the countries were ranked by their income level, increased ADHD medication consumption was only observed in high-income countries, the study said.
Middle-income countries in the study, despite having baseline ADHD consumption levels much lower than ADHD prevalence, showed no increase in ADHD medication consumption over time.
The study further noted that current estimates of ADHD prevalence and ADHD medication use are lower than the global epidemiological prevalence in most middle-income countries.
The annual average increase in ADHD medication use was only significant for high-income countries (39 countries; an 11.28 percent increase), the study found.
The study found no significant changes in ADHD consumption rates for upper middle income (17 countries; 3.23 percent increase) or lower middle income countries (8 countries; 16.6 percent increase).
In 2019, the pooled consumption rates of ADHD medications were 6.39 DDD/TID in high-income countries, 0.37 DDD/TID in upper-middle-income countries, and 0.02 DDD/TID in lower-middle-income countries, so the study showed.
In all, four regions, namely North America, Oceania, Western Europe, and Northern Europe, accounted for 85 percent of multinational ADHD drug use research.
Still, some of the fastest-growing regions in the study period, including Southeast Asia, East Asia and West Asia, were those with low consumption in 2015, suggesting that these regions are breaking the multinational norms of ADHD medication use, the study said. .
The study analyzed the observed patterns to find that estimates of local ADHD prevalence and geographic regions were not significantly associated with ADHD medication consumption.
The scientists said that when methodological differences were taken into account, the true prevalence of ADHD, contrary to reported estimates from individual studies, did not increase over a 27-year period and was similar across all geographic locations.
Thus, the study noted that the rise in ADHD medication use is unlikely to be associated with increased ADHD prevalence. However, it may be due to the increased recognition of the important role of pharmacological treatment of ADHD, the study said.
According to the scientists, GDP per capita was a determinant of the use of ADHD medication.
While most regions noted a significant increase in ADHD medication use over time, no significant increase was observed when the analyzes were limited to upper and lower middle income countries, respectively.
As such, the multinational increase in ADHD medication use appears to be driven by high-income countries.
The study said this was likely due to more affordable ADHD medications, more concerns about educational achievement and a larger market that sparked interest from pharmaceutical companies in high-income countries.
However, the study found that consumption of ADHD medication was markedly higher in high-income countries than in middle-income countries — more than 10 times higher than in upper-middle-income countries and more than 100 times higher than in middle-income countries. in upper-middle-income countries. lower middle income countries (LMIC).
Consumption of ADHD medication in middle-income countries was also significantly lower than the epidemiological prevalence of ADHD.
ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, with a worldwide population prevalence in epidemiological studies of approximately 7.2 percent in children and 2.5 percent in adults.
It is diagnosed based on the presence of pervasive, developmentally inappropriate and stunting levels of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity.
When left untreated, individuals with ADHD are prone to a wide variety of poor outcomes, such as defiant, disruptive, and antisocial behaviors, emotional problems, self-harm, substance abuse, educational disadvantage and exclusion from school, problems with work and relationships, and crime.
Timely recognition and appropriate treatment of ADHD are therefore essential to improve the long-term well-being of individuals with the disorder.
The study obtained the sales data of the multinational ADHD medication from the IQVIA-Multinational Integrated Data Analysis System (MIDAS) database.
MIDAS captures multinational data on the sales volume of specific pharmaceutical products from different distribution channels, such as manufacturers, wholesalers, hospitals and pharmacies, with international standardization to enable comparisons of national sales volume.
ADHD medications, in this study, namely amphetamines, methylphenidate, atomoxetine, clonidine, and guanfacine, were identified.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed)