ADHD in narcolepsy: A closer look at prevalence and ties

Jiafeng Ren; Xianchao Zhao; Changjun Su; Xiao Li; Junying Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105471

ADHD in narcolepsy: A closer look at prevalence and ties

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2024 Jan:156:105471. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105471. Epub 2023 Nov 28.

Authors

Jiafeng Ren¹, Xianchao Zhao², Changjun Su², Xiao Li³, Junying Zhou⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Department of Neurology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
² Department of Neurology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
³ Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Electronic address: lixiaozq@hku.hk.
⁴ Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Sleep Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: zhoujy2016@scu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38030099
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105471

Abstract

The reported prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in narcolepsy varies considerably, while the associated factors remain inadequately established. A systematic search of studies published in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library was performed from inception to March 2023. Ten studies with 839 patients with narcolepsy were included in the study. Utilizing a random effects model, the pooled prevalence of ADHD in narcolepsy was 25% (95% CI, 14-38%). Notably, patients with narcolepsy type 2 showed a significantly higher prevalence of ADHD than that of narcolepsy type 1 (46% vs. 20%, p = 0.045). Furthermore, the rate of ADHD was notably elevated in narcolepsy compared with the healthy controls (odds ratio 9.59, 95% CI, 4.06-22.63, p < 0.001). Several factors such as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), fatigue, insomnia severity, and the quality of life were significantly associated with ADHD in narcolepsy (all ps < 0.05). These findings highlight the importance of monitoring and managing ADHD in narcolepsy, and provide a clue to help reducing ADHD by intervening in these associated factors.

Keywords: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Meta-analysis; Narcolepsy; Prevalence; Systematic review.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / complications
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / epidemiology
Fatigue
Humans
Narcolepsy* / complications
Narcolepsy* / epidemiology
Prevalence
Quality of Life