Long-term Effects of Medication for ADHD (LMA)

Long-term Effects of Medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children and Adolescents on Cognition, Everyday Function and Quality of Life

Single-centre open-label prospective study, enrolling 127 children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, who receive medication for ADHD of any subtype (presentation). Long-term results are evaluated with tests of ADHD symptoms (Qb-test), intellectual ability (Wechsler scales; WISC), adaptive functioning (Vineland scale), everyday functioning (Weiss Functional Impairment Scale; WFIRS), and quality of life (Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition Scale; CHIP-CE) during 24 months of ADHD treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: ADHD medications

Detailed Description

Single-centre open-label prospective study, including 127 subjects over a period of 2 years. Children and adolescents (6-17 years) who have been diagnosed with ADHD will be enrolled and followed during 24 months of ADHD treatment.

Screening assessments include medical, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric history, clinical evaluation and definition of the ADHD diagnosis and its subtypes or presentations (according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV and DSM 5), ADHD symptom severity and global functional impairment (by the investigator-rated ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) and Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity and Improvement; CGI-S and CGI-I), comorbidities (by the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) clinical interview), intellectual ability (by the WISC test), and general level of functioning (by the Vineland interview). Subjects previously assessed and diagnosed will be re-assessed at the screening visit to ascertain a current evaluation and definition of these parameters.

At baseline, a Qb-test and an assessment of symptom severity and global functional impairment will be made by the investigator-rated ADHD-RS-IV and CGI-S, everyday functioning by parent-rated WIFRS, and quality of life by parent-rated CHIP-CE. An adverse events report will be collected by interview with open-ended questions. Assignment to treatment will be individualized according to clinical picture and patient preference.

At subsequent visits (1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months) the following assessments will be performed: Investigator-rated ADHD-RS-IV, CGI-S, Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scales for symptom severity, global functional impairment and improvement. Adverse event report. Compliance assessment through pill count. Assessment of comorbidity status according to DSM-IV and DSM 5 checklist/interview.

A Qb-test will be performed at the 1 and 12 month visits. Everyday functioning and quality of life will be assessed by parent-rated WIFRS and CHIP-CE scales at the 12 and 24 month visits.

Duration of study treatment per subject is 24 months. Medication dosage is 1-3 doses daily as needed to optimize symptom control. Medications (methylphenidate, amphetamine, atomoxetine) will be provided by the pharmacy according to routines in standard clinical treatment.

For cluster analysis of Qb-test results, retrospective data from at least 50 patients previously diagnosed at our clinic will be added to the data from the subjects participating in the prospective study, to increase sample size to ascertain sufficient power for subgroup (cluster) analysis.

Safety evaluations Adverse event (AE) reports will be collected at all visits through open-ended questions. Vital signs (height, weight, blood pressure, pulse) will be assessed at all visits. AE severity should be graded: Mild, Moderate or Severe, and all AEs must be followed until an outcome is known, ensuring the subject's safety. All AEs will be recorded in the subject's medical records and in the Clinical Report Form (CRF), and also reported to the Medical Products Agency according to local regulations.

Study population Approximately 100 subjects from our centre will be enrolled in the prospective study.

Retrospective data for the cluster analysis will be collected from at least 50 patients previously diagnosed at our centre.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 128
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Gothenburg, Sweden, 41118
    • Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 6 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Children 6-17 years of age
2. Clinical diagnosis ADHD of any subtype and DSM 5 presentation
3. Intellectual ability in the normal range, according to Wechsler tests and clinical judgment
4. Subjects treated with ADHD medication will have a wash-out period prior to Qb-test at baseline, of 1 week for methylphenidate or amphetamine, 2 weeks for atomoxetine

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Physical or psychological limitation making Qb-test unsuitable.
2. Cardiovascular disease, seizures or other unstable medical conditions that might increase the risk for the subject.
3. Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Psychosis, severe autism or other severe comorbid or medical conditions that in the investigator's opinion would make study participation unsuitable.
4. Concomitant medications (allowed at investigator's discretion), must be recorded in the subject's medical records and the CRF.
5. Substance use.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Children and adolescents with ADHD; Children and adolescents medicating for ADHD of any subtype (presentation) with comorbidities	Drug: ADHD medications

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in CGI - (S and I)	Investigator-rated clinical global impression scale - severity and improvement	0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
ADHD Rating Scale	Clinician-rated ADHD symptom scale	0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months
Qb-test	Computerized ADHD-test	0, 1 and 12 months
WISC-IV	Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children	0 and 12 months
Vineland scale	Vineland parent interview of functioning	0 and 12 months
Weiss Functional Impairment Scale (WFIRS)	Parent-rated function scale	0, 12 and 24 months
Child Health and Illness Profile - Child Edition (CHIP-CE)	Parent-rated quality of life scale	0, 12 and 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Göteborg University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mats Johnson, MD, PhD, Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 30, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): January 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 4, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 14, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): August 15, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 14, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2022
• Last Verified: February 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Dyskinesias; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Hyperkinesis
• Other Study ID Numbers: LMA trial Goteborg

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO