RESUMO
Background: Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder/developmental coordination disorder [ADHD/DCD] suffer from problems associated with gross and fine motor skills. There is no effective pharmacological therapy for such patients. We aimed to assess the impact of methylphenidate [MPH] on motor performance of children with ADHD/DCD
Methods:In this double-blind placebo-controlled, 17 children [12 boys] with ADHD/DCD with a mean age of 7 years 6 months were recruited in Shafa Hospital, Rasht, Iran. The response was defined as >=25% reduction in the total score of ADHD rating scale-IV from the baseline. Sixteen boys entered phase 2 of the study in which the impact of MPH on motor function was determined through a crossover randomized clinical trial. Eligible individuals were scheduled for baseline and two assessment visits after a one-week period of intervention. We used the short form of Bruininks-Oseretsky test [BOT-2] to identify the disability of motor function. Children were randomly assigned to receive MPH or inert ingredients [placebo]. In the second period, medication [MPH/placebo] was crossed over. The effects of MPH were analyzed using chi[2] test for related samples to compare the performance during baseline, placebo, and MPH trials. The results were analyzed using the SPSS software version 16.0
Results: The mean minimal effective dose of MPH per day was 17.3 mg [0.85 mg/kg]. Children with higher ADHD rating scale had a significantly lower standard score in BOT-2 [P=0.03]. Following MPH intake, 26.6% of the children showed clinically significant improvement in motor function. However, the improvement was not statistically different between the MPH and placebo
Conclusion: Although MPH improved ADHD symptoms, problems with motor performance still remained. Further work is required to determine the probable effects of MPH in a higher dosage or in different subtypes of ADHD