Objective: Iron deficiency may play a role in the pathophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by causing dopamine dysfunction, but there is conflicting evidence in the literature regarding this relationship. This study investigates the possible correlation between iron deficiency and ADHD in children and adolescents attending a South African child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient service. Method: In this retrospective study, we gathered data from 245 outpatient children and adolescents who had their serum ferritin and/or iron levels tested between February 2011 and January 2016. Relevant statistical methods were used to test for correlations between ADHD and various demographic and clinical factors, including iron deficiency. Results: Out of 245 patients, 88 (35.9%) had iron deficiency, 156 (63.7%) had ADHD and 55 (22.4%) had both iron deficiency and ADHD. Variables found to be significantly correlated with ADHD included gender, age, and methylphenidate treatment, but there was no significant correlation between ADHD and iron deficiency. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes the great complexity involved in understanding ADHD. Comparisons between mentally-ill paediatric patients and matched healthy controls from the same communities are required to further explore the possible association between iron deficiency and ADHD.

中文翻译：

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患有注意力缺陷多动障碍的南非儿童和青少年的铁缺乏症

目的：铁缺乏症可能引起多巴胺功能障碍，从而在注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的病理生理中起作用，但有关这种关系的文献中存在矛盾的证据。这项研究调查了在南非儿童和青少年精神病门诊就诊的儿童和青少年中铁缺乏与多动症之间的可能相关性。方法：在这项回顾性研究中，我们收集了2011年2月至2016年1月之间接受血清铁蛋白和/或铁水平检测的245位门诊儿童和青少年的数据。采用相关的统计方法来检验ADHD与各种人口统计学和临床​​之间的相关性。因素，包括铁缺乏症。结果：在245名患者中，有88名（35.9％）患有铁缺乏症，有156名（63.7％）患有多动症，有55名（22。4％的人同时患有铁缺乏症和多动症。发现与ADHD显着相关的变量包括性别，年龄和哌醋甲酯治疗，但ADHD与铁缺乏之间无显着相关性。结论：我们的研究强调了理解多动症的巨大复杂性。需要对来自同一社区的精神疾病儿科患者和相匹配的健康对照进行比较，以进一步探索铁缺乏与多动症之间的可能联系。