not necessary. "There's a belief among some people that we're somehow using medication to artificially enhance a child's performance," he says. "We are simply trying to help these kids who have problem areas perform up to their potential, to bring them back to where they can be."
Identifying genetic roots
With this in mind, Neuman and Todd are working to further tease out the genetic
influences on ADHD. Eventually, they hope to identify genes that increase the
risk of developing the disorder, just as other researchers are looking for the
genetic roots of diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension.
Their current study shows that ADHD is similar to those disorders in that many
children suffer from some symptoms, but the severity of symptoms and their
impact can differ greatly among individuals.
"Using high blood pressure as an example, in terms of outcome or risk, a diastolic blood pressure reading of 90, where physicians usually prescribe medication, is not significantly different than a pressure of 88. At some point, however, a physician has to decide who to treat. Ninety is the usually accepted guideline," Todd says. "Our studies and others suggest a similar continuum in ADHD."
Some studies estimate that almost one in 10 school-age children is affected by ADHD. Why they have the disorder, who should be treated and whether girls are under diagnosed are some of the questions the investigators hope to answer as they look at the disorder's genetic and familial influences.
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Contact: Jim Dryden
dryden@medicine.wustl.edu
314-286-0110
Washington University in St. Louis
8-Apr-1999