Introduction:

the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood. It's definition points toward those problems which originate discomfort in persons and their environment. ADHD has a multifactorial origin, with a neurobiological basis, strong genetic component and interaction with environmental factors. Nearly 75% of children with ADHD will be adolescents with ADHD, and 50% of them will be adults with ADHD. This disorder causes a great impact at cognitive, emotional and social levels. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of ADHD over the family, school and social relationships of affected children under the view of primary care, using the concept of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), defined as the individual and subjective patient's self-perception related to their own health, as well as the degree of physical, psychological and social welfare in respect to the disease and the treatment.

Material and methods:

KINDL(r) was used in the evaluation of HRQoL. It was applied to two groups children aged from 6 to 16 years old. One group included children with a recent diagnosis of ADHD and still not treated with any therapy. The other group consisted in children without ADHD.

Results:

results showed that the global score of HRQoL as well as the six dimensions which compose this measure have significant differences. The HRQoL is significantly lower in the group of ADHD children when compared with the control group.

Conclusion:

as a main conclusion, ADHD impairs seriously the quality of life of children who suffer such disorder.

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