Two meta-analyses of the association between atopic diseases and core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Yu-Chieh Chuang; Ching-Yun Wang; Wei-Lieh Huang; Liang-Jen Wang; Ho-Chang Kuo; Yang-Ching Chen; Yu-Jui Huang

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07232-1

Two meta-analyses of the association between atopic diseases and core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 1;12(1):3377. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-07232-1.

Authors

Yu-Chieh Chuang¹, Ching-Yun Wang², Wei-Lieh Huang^{3

4

5

6}, Liang-Jen Wang^{7

8}, Ho-Chang Kuo^{9

10}, Yang-Ching Chen^{11

12}, Yu-Jui Huang¹³

Affiliations

¹ Department of General Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
² Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁸ School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁹ Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Kawasaki Disease Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
¹² Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
¹³ Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. yujui0515@gmail.com.

Abstract

Studies in the field of neuroscience and psychology have hypothesized that a causal association exists between atopic diseases and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported a higher risk of ADHD in children with atopic diseases; however, the relationship between ADHD symptoms and atopic diseases remains unclear. We systematically reviewed observational cross-sectional and longitudinal studies to investigate the relationship between atopic diseases and ADHD symptom severity (hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention). The majority of studies showed a statistically significant association between atopic diseases and both ADHD symptoms, with substantial heterogeneity in the outcome of hyperactivity/impulsivity. Remarkably decreased heterogeneity and statistical significance were observed in the second meta-analysis of ADHD-related behavior symptoms in atopic patients without ADHD. Our study indicated that atopic diseases not only associated with ADHD but also ADHD symptoms severity. This association was even observed in children with subthreshold ADHD, indicating that atopic diseases may play a role in the spectrum of ADHD symptom severity. Trial registration: This study was registered on PROSPERO (registration ID: CRD42020213219).

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / psychology
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Hypersensitivity, Immediate*