Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology
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J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol · Jan 2003
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialGrowth hormone response to guanfacine in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a preliminary study.
This preliminary study evaluated a method for assessing central noradrenergic function in children via the growth hormone response to a single dose of the alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist guanfacine and examined whether this measure distinguishes between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) boys with and without reading disabilities (RD). ⋯ Consistent with findings using peripheral measures of noradrenergic function, these preliminary data suggest that ADHD boys with and without RD may differ in central noradrenergic function.
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J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol · Jan 2003
Case ReportsChildhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder and tic disorders: case report and literature review.
A subgroup of childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and tic disorders has been found to have a postinfectious autoimmune-mediated etiology. Clinical observations and systematic investigations have shown that a subgroup of children with OCD and/or tic disorders have the onset and subsequent exacerbations of their symptoms following infections with group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS). This subgroup has been designated by the acronym PANDAS: pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections. ⋯ The proposed poststreptococcal inflammatory etiology provides a unique opportunity for treatment and prevention, including immunomodulatory therapies such as plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin. A placebo-controlled trial revealed that both intravenous immunoglobulin and plasma exchange were effective in reducing neuropsychiatric symptom severity (40 and 55% reductions, respectively) for a group of severely ill children in the PANDAS subgroup. Further research is required to determine why the treatments are helpful and to ascertain whether or not antibiotic prophylaxis can help prevent poststreptococcal symptom exacerbations.