Children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and their hospitalisations: population data linkage study

Abstract

Examine the hospital admission risk in young children who are subsequently diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We conducted a population-based, record linkage study. Records of all non-Aboriginal children under 18 years who met the DSMIV/ICD10 criteria for ADHD and prescribed stimulant medication in Western Australia between 2003 and 2007 (n = 11,902) were linked to two other health data systems-the hospital morbidity data system and the midwives notification system (MNS). The non-ADHD reference population (n = 27,304) was randomly selected from the MNS. Compared with controls, children under 4 years who subsequently were diagnosed and treated for ADHD were 70% [o..