Childhood obesity and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A newly described comorbidity in obese hospitalized children

Abstract

Objective The current study described a subgroup of children presenting with obesity and comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivitiy disorder (AD/HD) and assessed a possible casual relationship. Method School-aged children hospitalized for obesity (body mass index [BMI] >85%) in a tertiary referral center underwent extensive evaluations and were prospectively assessed for comorbid AD/HD. Results During a 4-year period, 32 obese school-aged children were hospitalized and 26 were included in the current study. We found that over one half (57.7%) suffered from comorbid AD/HD. Discussion AD/HD shows a high comorbidity among obese hospitalized children. The characteristic difficulty in regulation found in AD/HD may be a risk factor for the development of abnormal eating behaviors leading to obesity. We suggest that obese children should be screened routinely for AD/HD. © 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.