Abstract

Objectives

To determine the adjusted incremental total costs (direct and indirect) for patients (aged 3–17 years) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the differences in the adjusted incremental direct expenditures with respect to age groups (preschoolers, 0–5 years; children, 6–11 years; and adolescents, 12–17 years).

Methods

The 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was used as the data source. The ADHD cohort consisted of patients aged 0 to 17 years with a diagnosis of ADHD, whereas the non-ADHD cohort consisted of subjects in the same age range without a diagnosis of ADHD. The annual incremental total cost of ADHD is composed of the incremental direct expenditures and indirect costs. A two-part model with a logistic regression (first part) and a generalized linear model (second part) was used to estimate the incremental costs of ADHD while controlling for patient characteristics and access-to-care variables.

Results

The 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey database included 9108 individuals aged 0 to 17 years, with 458 (5.0%) having an ADHD diagnosis. The ADHD cohort was 4.90 times more likely (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.97–8.08; P 0.001).

Conclusions

Early diagnosis and use of evidence-based treatments may address the substantial burden of ADHD.