Search

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism (44-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism of serotonin transporter gene) and methylphenidate (MPH) treatment response, as well as the association between the adverse events of MPH treatment and 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Methods: A total of 114 children with ADHD (mean age 9.08 ± 1.94 years) were recruited from the child psychiatric clinic in a hospital in South Korea. We have extracted the genomic DNA of the subjects from their blood lymphocytes and analyzed 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the SLC6A4 gene. All children were treated with MPH for 8 weeks, with clinicians monitoring both the improvement of ADHD symptoms and the side effects. We compared the response to MPH treatment and adverse events among those with the genotype of 5-HRRLPR polymorphism.Results: There was no significant association between the 5-HTTLPR genotype and the response to MPH treatment in children with ADHD. Subjects with the S/L+L/L genotype tended to have tics and nail biting (respectively, p < 0.001, p = 0.017).Conclusions: The results of this study do not support the association between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and treatment response with MPH in ADHD. However, our findings suggest the association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and the occurrence of tics and nail-biting as an adverse event of methylphenidate. This may aid in our understanding of the genetic contribution and genetic susceptibility of a particular allele in those ADHD patients with tics or nail biting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes of diagnoses, PTSD-related scales, and social support scale in child and adolescent victims with sexual abuse based on the cohorts of Nation-funded Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) protection center in Korea. Eighteen of 22 subjects had diagnoses of mental illness, such as PTSD with/without depressive disorder, depressive disorder, adjustment disorder, and enuresis. Our data suggest that the prevalence of mental illness would be decreased, and the scores of PTSD-related and behavioral problems and familial functioning for CSA victims would be improved at the 1-year follow-up period. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: Although tic disorder (TD) is a common mental disorder in children and adolescents, epidemiological data based on real-world evidence (RWE) are insufficient. Using RWE, this study sought to examine the prevalence of treated TD, use of medical utilization, and use of prescription drugs among patients with TD with respect to TD type and comorbid psychiatric illness. Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study. Using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Pediatric Patient Sample data from 2009 to 2016, we analyzed 20,599 patients with TD (Korean Standard Classification of Diseases-6/7 code: F95.x) aged 2-19 years. Results: The annual average TD prevalence was 2.6/1000 population (95% confidence interval, 2.3-2.8/1000). Between 2009 and 2016, a slight increase in TD prevalence was observed from 1.9 to 2.9/1000 population. The TD prevalence rate in male patients was four times higher than that in female patients. Differences were observed in health care utilization and drug prescription types between patients with Tourette syndrome and chronic or transient TD. In addition, more than half of patients with TD had comorbid psychiatric disorders, and one-third of patients with TD had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Patients with TD without comorbidities were frequently prescribed aripiprazole, while patients with TD and comorbid ADHD were frequently prescribed atomoxetine, methylphenidate, risperidone, and aripiprazole. Conclusion: This study described the epidemiological characteristics of TD based on recent RWE from Korea, and its findings can help establish future TD evidence-based clinical guidelines and related policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]