Health-related quality of life and burden of illness in adults with newly diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Sweden

Abstract

BackgroundThis observational, cross-sectional, retrospective chart review aimed to identify factors determining health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with newly diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Sweden.MethodsAdult participants with a new clinical diagnosis of ADHD were enrolled from two specialist outpatient clinics in Stockholm, Sweden, from 2013 to 2015. Data extracted from patient records included demographics, clinical characteristics and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses identified using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Depression severity was assessed using the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale – Self-reported (MADRS-S). The self-rated five-dimension EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D) was used to measure HRQoL. Predictors of EQ-5D index score were identified using multivariate linear regression adjusting for age, sex, education level, and main income source.ResultsThe mean age of the 189 enrolled patients was 35.2 years (standard deviation [SD], 12.3), and 107 (57%) were female. Psychiatric comorbidities were present in 92 patients (49%), with anxiety and depression being the most common diagnoses. The mean EQ-5D index score was 0.63 (SD, 0.28). Low EQ-5D index scores were significantly associated with high MADRS-S scores, multiple comorbid psychiatric disorders, low educational achievement, female sex, and not having a main income derived from employment or self-employment.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that adults with newly diagnosed ADHD experience low HRQoL, which may often be exacerbated by psychiatric comorbidities such as anxiety and depression. Patients presenting with ADHD and psychiatric comorbidities in adulthood may require particular care and resources in the management of their ADHD.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12888-018-1803-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparison of clinical and cognitive characteristics of a Mexican adult clinical population with and without ADHD

“…In line with previous research, we found no differences in ADHD diagnosis between men and women (Agnew-Blais et al, 2016;Moffitt et al, 2015). A recent report by Ahnemark et al (2018) on a Swedish adult population with a recent diagnosis of ADHD, indicated that 57% of the sample was female. Our finding sheds light on the fact that regardless of gender, people have the same risk of developing ADHD.…”

Relationship between Health-Related Quality of Life and Physical Activity in Children with Hyperactivity

“…Regarding the implications on life and the complexity of unifying the criteria to select assessments on people with ADHD, several authors have argued that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is the most suitable indicator for analyzing the impact of this disorder on daily life and well-being [9,[13][14][15][16]. HRQoL has been defined as a multidimensional construction that comprises several domains related to health and well-being, as it also refers to the subjective and objective impact of dysfunction associated with a disease or injury, medical treatment, and health status [17].…”

Commentary: Health-Related Quality of Life and Burden of Illness in Adults with Newly Diagnosed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Sweden

“…Recent evidence has also proposed that an adult-onset form of ADHD may exist in some populations 5,6 . ADHD can have a significant negative impact on professional, financial, social and emotional aspects of adult life 7,8 and our first report of this study published elsewhere 9 adds to the limited published information related to the burden of ADHD in a population of adults (Swedish) with newly diagnosed ADHD.…”

“…The adjusted mean EQ-5D total score was 0.08 points lower in females than males, although the difference only just reached statistical significance (p = 0.049) 9 . According to a 2001 report, the mean EQ-5D total score is also lower in females than in males in the general Swedish population (by 0.03 points, p < 0.001) 10 , a difference which may have been reflected in our study.…”

“…In this commentary on our original report 9 , we describe the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) evaluated in an adult study population in Sweden and highlight two specific demographic factors that were found to impact HRQoL, namely gender and the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders.…”