Prevalence of pharmacologically treated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents, and adults: systematic review and meta-analysis - Summary - MDSpire

Prevalence of pharmacologically treated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents, and adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

  • By

  • Sara Popit

  • Spela Pfeifer

  • Igor Locatelli

  • Matej Stuhec

  • July 10, 2026

  • 0 min

Share

Objective:

To estimate the pooled prevalence of pharmacologically treated individuals with ADHD in different age groups in Europe and worldwide.

Approach:
  • Search Methodology: A comprehensive search of PubMed/MEDLINE was conducted to identify relevant articles published up to October 4, 2023.
Key Findings:
  • Sex-stratified analyses showed no significant difference between males and females, although point estimates were slightly higher in males.
Interpretation:

The pooled prevalence estimate should be interpreted with caution due to substantial between-study heterogeneity.

Limitations:
  • High heterogeneity limits the precision of pooled estimates.
  • The prevalence estimate is not intended for direct clinical inference.
Conclusion:

The prevalence of pharmacological treatment among individuals with ADHD varies across age groups and settings.

Sources:

Original Source(s)

Prevalence of pharmacologically treated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents, and adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

  • by Sara Popit, Spela Pfeifer, Igor Locatelli, Matej Stuhec

  • July 10, 2026

Related Content

Latent profile analysis and associated factors of alexithymia among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Depressive symptom patterns in older adults: evidence from two national ageing cohorts

Streamlining eligibility assessment for Alzheimer's disease-modifying therapies: Prediction of MMSE scores using the digital clock and recall