Prescribing patterns for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications among children and adolescents in Korea, 2007-2011.

Objectives: This study analyzed the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication users among children and adolescents in Korea between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2011.

Methods: Using the Korea National Health Insurance claims database, we identified the patients aged between 1 and 17 years who had at least one medical claim for the diagnosis of ADHD (ICD-10: F90.0). The annual prevalence of ADHD diagnosis was calculated, using national census data from the Statistics Korea on the population aged between 1 and 17 years as the denominator. The prevalence was age-standardized using 2010 population as the standard population. The number of patients who were treated with either methylphenidate or atomoxetine and the prevalence of total patients with ADHD that were treated with either drug were also calculated for each year. All analyses were performed by gender and age group (1-5y, 6-12y, and 13-17y).

Results: The number of patients diagnosed with ADHD increased from 72,704 persons (0.71%) in 2007 to 85,468 persons (0.93%) in 2011. The annual age-standardized prevalence of ADHD diagnosis increased from increased from 0.67% in 2007 to 0.94% in 2011. The prevalence of methylphenidate users decreased from 73.91% in 2007 to 70.33% in 2011 whereas that of atomoxetine users increased from 5.77% in 2009 to 13.09% in 2011.

Conclusion: While methylphenidate remains the most commonly prescribed ADHD drug, use of atomoxetine has increased.