ESPE Abstracts

Objective: Obesity has been reported to be associated with both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and central precocious puberty. The purpose of the current study was to examine the prevalence of ADHD in girls with central precocious puberty and to compare body mass index (BMI) of the girls with ADHD and CPP together and the girls with CPP alone.

Method: Girls with central precocious puberty were prospectively recruited from the pediatric clinic. Screening was done with ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Those who screened positive on ADHD-RS were referred for the diagnostic evaluation which included a Computerized Performance Test (CPT) and a clinical interview conducted by a child adolescent psychiatrist. Overweight is defined as having BMI between the 85 percentiles for age and gender, and obesity is defined as having a BMI equal to or greater than the 95 percentiles for age and gender.

Results: Eleven girls (13.58%) out of the 81 girls (mean age=8.97±0.91) who finished the study had an ADHD diagnosis; five of them had the inattentive type and six had the combined type. The BMI and rates of overweight and obesity were not significantly different between the ADHD group and non-ADHD group.

Conclusion: The current exploratory study revealed that girls with central precocious puberty had a higher prevalence of ADHD than the known worldwide prevalence of ADHD in children. Obesity does not seem to be a contributing factor in the association of ADHD and central precocious puberty in this study.