EffEtti sulla crescita della terapia a lungo termine con metilfenidato in bambini e adolescenti con disturbo da deficit di attenzione e iperattività (ADHD)

The aim of this article is to provide a review of the literature on methylphenidate (MPH) long-term adverse effects on growth in ADHD during developmental age. The search was carried out using Ovid Medline, Embase and PsychInfo till 2011 and focused on the impact of chronic methylphenidate on growth in ADHD children and adolescents aged between 3 and 17 years. Studies peroformed only in adults or related to amphetamines or other psychostimulants medication exposure were excluded. Eleven eligible studies, published between 1996 and 2010, were revised. These studies cover a sample of 2273 subjects with ADHD (79% male). Four of the studies do not support the hypothesis of an association between stimulant use and a growth deficit. The other studies found significant, but small, changes on height, weight and BMI z scores. Height deficit appeared more evident during the first 6-12 months with a subsequent normalization. These studies indicate that long-term treatment with MPH might result in a slight growth deficit, but many unanswered questions remain about the underlying biological mechanism.