2005 Prevalencia del transtorno por d ficit de atenci n hiperactividad

ORIGINAL

Prevalencia del trastorno por déficit de atención-hiperactividad
en niños y adolescentes colombianos
J.W. Cornejo a,b, O. Osío b, Y. Sánchez b, J. Carrizosa a, G. Sánchez d,
H. Grisales c, H. Castillo-Parra d, J. Holguín a
PREVALENCE OF ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
IN COLOMBIAN CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS
Summary. Introduction. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) isthe most common neurobehavioural disorder
among schoolchildren. It may persist into adulthood and affect performance in the academic, social, occupational and
familial spheres, and increase the use and abuse of alcohol and psychoactive substances and the risk of having an accident. Its
prevalence throughout the world varies widely and further knowledge about this situation would be valuable forthe
development of policies in the sector of education. Aims. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of ADHD
and its distribution according to subtypes in schoolchildren from Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia, in 2001. Subjects and
methods. The analysis involved a cross-sectional descriptive study using a representative randomised multistage sample
(which was proportional to the size ofthe groups) of schoolchildren between 4 and 17 years old. Measurement was performed
in two stages, first by application of a screening form according to DSM IV criteria, and later a structured interview, Conners’
and Intelligence tests. Results. Prevalence was found to be 20.4% and 15.8% if only children with an intelligence quotient of
80 or above were considered. The combined subtype was themost frequent, with 9.6%. In public schools it was 16.2%, private
15.3%, age group from 7-11 years 16.9%, 12-17 years old 14.2%, males 20.9%, females 10.1%, low 14.7%, medium 17.4%
and high socioeconomic level 10.7%, with a male to female prevalence ratio of 3.88 to 1. Conclusions. Prevalence of ADHD
in the school population in a municipality in the Metropolitan Area of Medellin, Colombia, is high.The most frequent subtype
was the combined type, which was predominant in males, had repercussions on academic performance and low proportions of
pharmacological interventions for the disorder (15%). Programmes must be developed for the detection of this problem and
subsequent intervention in the school population. [REV NEUROL 2005; 40: 716-22]
Key words. ADHD. DSM IV. Hyperactivity. Impulsivity.Inattention. Prevalence.

INTRODUCCIÓN
El trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad (TDAH)
es un síndrome neurológico frecuente, caracterizado por hiperactividad, impulsividad e inatención, inadecuadas para el grado
de desarrollo del niño. Es el problema de comportamiento más
común durante la infancia; constituye la enfermedad crónica
más frecuente del período escolar y representa unproblema
complejo, debido a que aparece en edades tempranas, repercute
en la vida diaria del niño y existe la probabilidad de que persista a lo largo de la vida.
La prevalencia del TDAH en la población oscila entre 1,7 y
el 17,8%, según la revisión de Elia et al [1], y entre el 8 y el
20%, según otros estudios [2-9]. Existen dificultades para la
comparación de las prevalencias obtenidas en estostrabajos,
explicables por los diversos criterios diagnósticos y métodos de
evaluación empleados. El diagnóstico del TDAH se apoya en la
evaluación del comportamiento, generalmente mediante la apliAceptado: 10.02.05.
a

Servicio de Neurología infantil. Departamento de Pediatría. Facultad de
Medicina. b Departamento de Epidemiología. Facultad de Enfermería. c Departamento de Estadística yEpidemiología. Facultad Nacional de Salud
Pública. Universidad de Antioquia. d Psicólogos clínicos. Universidad de
San Buenaventura. Medellín, Colombia.
Correspondencia: Dr. William Cornejo Ochoa. Servicio de Neurología Infantil. Departamento de Pediatría. Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Antioquia. Calle 62, 52-72. Medellín, Colombia. E-mail: wcornejo@epm.net.co
Agradecimientos. A la Alcaldía; a la...