Prescription Trends of Psychotropics in Children and Adolescents with Autism Based on Nationwide Health Insurance Data

Optimising the management of children with concomitant bladder dysfunction and behavioural disorders

Bladder dysfunction and behavioural disorders in children are commonly concomitant; hence, it is difficult to treat each in isolation. Pharmacotherapy is common treatment for behavioural disorders, and these medications may have intended or unintended positive or negative bladder sequelae. This review identifies the literature regarding the effects of behavioural pharmacotherapy on bladder functioning and possible bladder management strategies in children with concomitant behaviour and bladder disorders to enable clinicians to better manage both conditions. A PROSPERO registered PRISMA-guided review of three major databases was performed. After an initial scoping study revealed significant heterogeneity, a narrative approach was undertaken to discuss the results of all relevant cases relating to children being treated with pharmacotherapy for behaviour disorders and outcomes related to bladder function. Studies were screened to identify those that described effects of commonly prescribed medications in children with behavioural disorders such as stimulants, alpha 2 agonists, tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), serotonin and noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and antipsychotics, and the findings and implications were summarised. The review identified 46 studies relevant to behavioural pharmacotherapy and bladder function (stimulants (n = 9), alpha 2 agonists (n = 2), TCAs (n = 7), SNRIs (n = 8), SSRIs (n = 8) and antipsychotics (n = 6). Six studies focused specifically on bladder management in children with behavioural disorders with concurrent behavioural pharmacotherapy. This review identifies useful factors that may assist clinicians with predicting unintended bladder effects following initiation of behavioural pharmacotherapy to facilitate the best approach to the treatment of bladder dysfunction in children with behavioural disorders. With this evidence, we have provided a useful decision-making algorithm to aide clinicians in the management of these dual pathologies.

Concomitant medication use in children with autism spectrum disorder: Data from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials

LAY ABSTRACT

Children with autism spectrum disorder are prescribed a variety of medications that affect the central nervous system (psychotropic medications) to address behavior and mood. In clinical trials, individuals taking concomitant psychotropic medications often are excluded to maintain homogeneity of the sample and prevent contamination of biomarkers or clinical endpoints. However, this choice may significantly diminish the clinical representativeness of the sample. In a recent multisite study designed to identify biomarkers and behavioral endpoints for clinical trials (the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials), school-age children with autism spectrum disorder were enrolled without excluding for medications, thus providing a unique opportunity to examine characteristics of psychotropic medication use in a research cohort and to guide future decisions on medication-related inclusion criteria. The aims of the current analysis were (1) to quantify the frequency and type of psychotropic medications reported in school-age children enrolled in the ABC-CT and (2) to examine behavioral features of children with autism spectrum disorder based on medication classes. Of the 280 children with autism spectrum disorder in the cohort, 42.5% were taking psychotropic medications, with polypharmacy in half of these children. The most commonly reported psychotropic medications included melatonin, stimulants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, alpha agonists, and antipsychotics. Descriptive analysis showed that children taking antipsychotics displayed a trend toward greater overall impairment. Our findings suggest that exclusion of children taking concomitant psychotropic medications in trials could limit the clinical representativeness of the study population, perhaps even excluding children who may most benefit from new treatment options.

Weight Gain During Antipsychotic Treatment in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: A Disproportionality Analysis in the Global Pharmacovigilance Database, Vigibase®

INTRODUCTION

While antipsychotic-induced weight gain has been widely described in adults, it has yet to be better characterized in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess antipsychotic-induced weight-gain reporting in children and adolescents as compared to adults, and according to the type of antipsychotic.

METHODS

The study is an observational, case-non-case study using individual case safety reports from the WHO global pharmacovigilance database VigiBase^® from 1 January 2000 to 2 June 2021. Disproportionality in antipsychotic-related weight-gain reporting in children and adolescents compared to adults was evaluated based on reporting odds ratios (RORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) through multivariate logistic regression modeling. Analysis was adjusted for sex, region of reporting, year of notification, reporter qualification, concomitant use of antidepressants, and use of more than one antipsychotic.

RESULTS

Among 282,224 antipsychotic-related spontaneous reports included in this analysis, we identified 16,881 (6.0%) weight-gain cases. Disproportionality in weight-gain reporting was found in children (adjusted ROR (aROR) 3.6; 95% CI 3.3-3.8) and in adolescents (aROR 2.3; 95% CI 2.2-2.4) compared to adults. Use of risperidone was associated with the highest increase in weight-gain reporting in children (aROR 4.9; 95% CI 3.9-6.1) and adolescents (aROR 3.6; 95% CI 3.1-4.1).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to adults, weight-gain reporting with antipsychotics was disproportionally higher in the pediatric population, especially in children under 12 years of age. Considering the impact of weight gain on global morbidity and mortality, physicians should closely monitor weight gain in young patients, especially children on risperidone.

Gender Trends in Psychotropic Medication Use in Autism

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that includes differences in social communication and restrictive, repetitive behavior. Its diagnosis is far more common in men than women. Therefore, a female phenotype of autism might not concern caregivers or be detected early by clinical assessments. Given that medications address problematic behaviors rather than autism, different problems associated with autism necessitate other treatments. We reviewed existing literature on gender differences in psychotropic drug usage in autism patients and found that antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and mood stabilizers were more common in females, while stimulants and antipsychotics were predominant in males. This review highlights that autistic men and women receive different pharmacologic agents, likely attributable to gender-specific trends in presenting problematic behaviors.

Healthcare utilization among children with early autism diagnoses, children with other developmental delays and a comparison group

Aim: To describe healthcare utilization patterns among children with autism (n = 1821), and compare these patterns to children with other developmental delays (DD; n = 12,336) and a population comparison (PC; n = 18,210) cohort. Materials & methods: Retrospective study of administrative billing data. Results: Children with autism had roughly six-times more annual outpatient visits as PC children and twice as many as children with DD. Children with autism were more likely than PC children to use nearly all services, but comparisons between the autism and DD cohorts were mixed. Children with autism were more likely to have psychiatry/psychology visits, 'other' specialty care visits and psychotropic prescriptions, but less likely to have pediatric specialty care visits, immunizations and some prescriptions. Conclusion: Findings reveal opportunities to streamline, coordinate or improve care for young children with autism, particularly for outpatient services, and to give caregivers appropriate anticipatory guidance about what to expect after an autism diagnosis.

Patterns of the Diagnosis Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in the Population Aged 0-18 Years Based on the Nationwide Insurance Sample Data

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the trend in diagnostic prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents.

Methods

Individuals aged 0–18 years were included in the study based on the National Health Insurance Claims Data. To investigate the trends in diagnosis and diagnostic prevalence of psychiatric disorders reflecting the decrease in the birth rate, data were analyzed from 2010 as a reference year to 2015.

Results

The number of patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorder decreased annually, from 23,412 on 2010 to 18,821 on 2015. The most common disorder was hyperkinetic disorder in male and depressive episode in female. Although there was no significant change in overall diagnostic prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders, age groups <10 years and some disorders had significant changes in prevalence rate. This study classified the diagnostic prevalence by age into two unique patterns: group in which the diagnosis rate increases with age and group in which the diagnosis rate peaks at a certain age and then decreases.

Conclusion

Diagnostic prevalence of psychiatric disorders was different according to age and sex. These patterns should be reflected in the formulation of policies related to mental health and in medical practice for pediatric patients. It is urgent to identify how these patterns change in young adults.

Comparison of Services for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Massachusetts with Those in Seoul

BACKGROUND

This article intended to identify and describe areas in need of services and interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families in Seoul, Korea.

METHODS

A descriptive comparison was made between available services and interventions in Seoul, Korea and Massachusetts, USA. Relevant information was obtained through sending phone/email inquiries to the governments and organizations, visiting their official websites, and searching for published articles or reports.

RESULTS

In a few areas such as level of education, economy, and general quality of healthcare, Seoul was found to be similar to Massachusetts. However, in terms of services and interventions for individuals with ASD and their families, especially early identification and intervention, special education, care coordination, school-based programs, and transition to adulthood, Massachusetts was shown to have far more availability.

CONCLUSION

The limited availability of services and interventions for individuals with ASD and their families in Seoul in comparison to Massachusetts, underlines target areas for further investment and development.

Current Enlightenment About Etiology and Pharmacological Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental brain disorder characterized by two core behavioral symptoms, namely impairments in social communication and restricted/repetitive behavior. The molecular mechanisms underlying ASD are not well understood. Recent genetic as well as non-genetic animal models contributed significantly in understanding the pathophysiology of ASD, as they establish autism-like behavior in mice and rats. Among the genetic causes, several chromosomal mutations including duplications or deletions could be possible causative factors of ASD. In addition, the biochemical basis suggests that several brain neurotransmitters, e.g., dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), acetylcholine (ACh), glutamate (Glu) and histamine (HA) participate in the onset and progression of ASD. Despite of convincible understanding, risperidone and aripiprazole are the only two drugs available clinically for improving behavioral symptoms of ASD following approval by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Till date, up to our knowledge there is no other drug approved for clinical usage specifically for ASD symptoms. However, many novel drug candidates and classes of compounds are underway for ASD at different phases of preclinical and clinical drug development. In this review, the diversity of numerous aetiological factors and the alterations in variety of neurotransmitter generation, release and function linked to ASD are discussed with focus on drugs currently used to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms related to ASD. The review also highlights the clinical development of drugs with emphasis on their pharmacological targets aiming at improving core symptoms in ASD.

Incidence and Comorbidity of Reactive Attachment Disorder: Based on National Health Insurance Claims Data, 2010-2012 in Korea

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the current diagnostic incidence, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) using the National Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) claims data.

METHODS

To examine the diagnostic incidence, we selected patients who were under 10-year-old and who had at least one medical claim containing a 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) code for RAD (F94.1 and F94.2) and who had not been diagnosed in the previous 360 days, from 2010 to 2012. In this study, we used the term 'reactive attachment disorder' representing for both RAD per se and Disinhibited social engagement disorder. Comorbid disorders were categorized according to ICD-10.

RESULTS

Among 14,029,571, the total population under 10-year-old during 2010-2012, incident cases of RAD were 736. The mean diagnostic incidence of RAD was 5.25 per 100,000 annually. Language disorders (F80-84) were the most common psychiatric comorbidities in both boys and girls in age groups 0-3 years and 4-6 years, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was the most common in both sex aged 7-9 years. In non-psychiatric comorbidities, diseases of the respiratory system (J00-99) were the commonest in both sex in all age groups, and diseases of the digestive system (K00-99) were the next.

CONCLUSION

RAD was very rare in practice and would be disguised as other psychiatric disorders. Children with RAD might have more medical comorbidities than typically developed children.