Relationship of ferritin to symptom ratings children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: effect of comorbidity.

Our aim was to investigate the relation between behavioral symptoms and hematological variables which are related with iron deficiency and anemia, ferritin, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and reticulosite distribution width (RDW) in children and adolescents with pure Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or ADHD comorbid with other psychiatric disorders. The sample consisted of 151 subjects with ADHD, 45 of these subjects had other comorbid conditions. Conners Parent (CPRS) and Teacher Rating Scales (CTRS) were obtained. Comorbid ADHD subjects had lower mean hemoglogin and MCV. In the ADHD group in general, CPRS and CTRS Total scores were significantly negatively correlated with ferritin level. When only pure ADHD subjects were taken into account, the correlations did not reach statistical significance. Overall, these results suggested that lower ferritin level was associated with higher behavioral problems reported by both parents and teachers. Presence of comorbid conditions might increase the effect of lower iron stores on behavioral measures.