Kawasaki disease and the subsequent risk of ADHD: A nationwide population-based cohort study

International Congress on Neuroimmunology and Therapeutics

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Francisco Airport, San Francisco, CA, USA

Ho-Chang Kuo1, Wei-Chiao Chang2, Chun-Yi Lin1 and Wei-Pin Chang3

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Neurol Disord

Abstract :

Objective: The association between Kawasaki Disease and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has rarely been studied in Asian populations. We investigated the hypothesis that Kawasaki Disease may increase the risk of ADHD in Taiwan using a nationwide Taiwanese population-based claims database. Materials & Methods: Our study cohort consisted of patients who received a diagnosis of Kawasaki Disease in 1997~2005 (N=781). For a comparison cohort, five age- and gender-matched control patients for every patient in the study cohort were selected using random sampling (N=3905). All subjects were tracked for 5 years from the date of cohort entry to identify whether or not they had developed ADHD. Cox proportional hazard regressions were performed to evaluate 5-year ADHD-free survival rates. Results: The main finding of this study was that patients with Kawasaki Disease seem to be at an increased risk of developing ADHD. Of the total patients, 83 patients developed ADHD during the 5-year follow-up period, among whom 21 were Kawasaki Disease patients and 62 were in the comparison cohort. The adjusted hazard ratios (AHR) of ADHD in patients with Kawasaki Disease was higher (AHR: 1.69; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-2.77; P<.05) than that of the controls during the 5-year follow-up. Our study also investigated whether Kawasaki Disease is gender-dependent risk factor for ADHD. We found that male patient with Kawasaki Disease have increased risk of developing ADHD (AHRs: 1.68 95% CI=1.01-2.83; P< .05). Conclusion: The findings of our population-based study suggest that patients with Kawasaki Disease may have an increased risk of ADHD. These health associations should be taken into consideration, and effective psychological treatment plans should be designed for Kawasaki Disease patients.