Medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in individuals with or without coexisting autism spectrum disorder: analysis of data from the Swedish prescribed drug register

Table 2 Likelihood for starting continuous treatment with medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comparing individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

	ADHD without coexisting ASD	ADHD with coexisting ASD	Model 1^#	Model 2^##
	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)	Odds ratio (95% confidence interval)	Odds ratio (95% confidence interval)
All individuals	n = 34,374	n = 5012
No treatment	6706 (19.5)	1191 (23.8)
Continuous treatment	27,668 (80.5)	3821 (76.2)	0.77 (0.72-0.83)^###	0.80 (0.75-0.86)^###
Adults	n = 17447	n = 2243
No treatment	4062 (23.3)	621 (27.7)
Continuous treatment	13,385 (76.7)	1622 (72.3)	0.82 (0.74-0.91)^###	0.85 (0.77-0.94)^###
Adolescents	n = 7784	n = 1070
No treatment	1319 (17.95)	237 (22.15)
Continuous treatment	6465 (83.05)	833 (77.85)	0.74 (0.63-0.86)^###	0.76 (0.65-0.89)^###
Children	n = 9143	n = 1699
No treatment	1325 (14.5)	333 (19.6)
Continuous treatment	7818 (85.5)	1366 (80.4)	0.72 (0.63-0.82)^###	0.76 (0.66-0.87)^###

Note: An odds ratio below one indicate that individuals with ADHD and ASD are less likely to receive medication. Included medications in the analysis: methylphenidate, atomoxetine, dexamphetamine, modafinil, and amphetamine. “No treatment”, individuals with zero or one single filled prescription. “Continuous treatment”. two or more filled prescriptions. Age categories based on age at first ADHD diagnosis (adults, age ≥ 18 years; adolescents, age 13-17 years; children, age ≤ 12 years)
^#Adjusted for sex and birth categories in years, and year of first ADHD diagnosis
^##Adjusted for sex, birth categories in years, year of first ADHD diagnosis, and psychiatric comorbidities before first dispense date
^###p value < 0.0001

ISSN: 1866-1955