Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2015.56.159
Prevalence and incidence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Slovenian children and adolescents: a database study from a national perspective
Matej Štuhec
; Clinical Pharmacy Department, Ormož Psychiatric Hospital, Slovenia, Ormož, Slovenia
Vesna Švab
; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University Ljubljana Ljubljana, Slovenia
Igor Locatelli
; Chair of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University ofLjubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Aim To estimate prevalence and incidence of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents
in Slovenia using different epidemiological models.
Methods Data from the National Institute of Public Health
of the Republic of Slovenia for the period 1997-2012 were
analyzed. The database includes the annual number of
newly diagnosed outpatients with ADHD in Slovenia. The
evaluation for ADHD diagnoses was done in accordance
with the Tenth Revision of the International Classification
of Diseases (ICD-10) outpatient data codes. In model 1, a
linear increase was proposed to fit the data in the period
from 1997 to 2003 in order to extrapolate the data before
1997. In model 2 and 3, an exponential increase in the annual
incidence rate was proposed.
Results The incidence rate of ADHD diagnosis in 1997 was
0.032% and in 2012 it increased to 0.082%. Mean prevalence
rate was 750 (95% confidence interval: 660-840) per
100 000 children and adolescents. It was estimated that the
prevalence rate in 2020 would be 1% (95% confidence interval:
0.875-1.125), which is 6.3-fold higher than in 1997.
Conclusions ADHD is a common mental health disorder
among Slovenian children and adolescents, but it remained
underdiagnosed compared with Western countries. Our
results indicated a need for improved timely interventions
in Slovenia, not only in child and adolescent psychiatry but
also in primary settings and adult psychiatry, where ADHD
should be more efficiently recognized.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
139308
URI
Publication date:
15.4.2015.
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