Introduction:

methylphenidate (MPH) is the most used drug for the treatment of pediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but its use has been linked to loss of bone mineral density (BMD).

Objective:

to compare BMD in pediatric patients with ADHD with and without MPH treatment.

Material and methods:

an observational, cross-sectional, comparative study conducted between June and August 2021 in a tertiary care hospital. BMD was assessed using DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). Statistical analysis included: Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher’s exact test, and Spearman’s rho test.

Results:

thirty-two patients were included, 18 males (56.3%), aged 6 to 16 years. Of the total, 15 were receiving MPH and 17 were not. No differences were found in BMD z-scores between the two groups (p = 0.55), nor in the proportion of low BMD (23.5 vs 20%, p = 0.80). Correlation between the duration of MPH treatment and the BMD z-score was not statistically significant (Rho = −0.05, p = 0.77).

Conclusions:

in this study, no relationship was demonstrated between the use and duration of MPH treatment and BMD in pediatric patients with ADHD.

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