Food intake and serum levels of iron in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate hematologic variables related to iron deficiency and food intake in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

METHOD

The sample comprised 62 children and adolescents (6-15 years old) divided into three groups: Group 1: 19 (30.6%) patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using methylphenidate for 3 months; Group 2: 22 (35.5%) patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who were methylphenidate naive and Group 3: 21 (33.9%) patients without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, nutritional diagnostic parameters - Body Mass Index Coefficient, food surveys were evaluated among the groups.

RESULTS

The attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder group drug naive for methylphenidate presented the highest red cell distribution width among the three groups (p = 0.03). For all other hematologic and food survey variables, no significant differences were found among the groups. No significant correlation between dimensional measures of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and ferritin levels was found in any of the three groups.

CONCLUSION

Peripheral markers of iron status and food intake of iron do not seem to be modified in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but further studies assessing brain iron levels are needed to fully understand the role of iron in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder pathophysiology.