Carlos Renato Moreira Maia

Long-Term Efficacy of Methylphenidate Immediate-Release for the Treatment of Childhood ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effects of methylphenidate imediate-release (MPH-IR), and to confirm the efficacy established in previous meta-analyses of short-term studies. Method: Published and unpublished studies in which participants were treated with MPH-IR for 12 weeks or more were searched. Pooled effect sizes from these studies were computed with the DerSimonian and Laird random-effect model. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to estimate covariates associated with treatment effects. Results: Seven studies were included. Pooled parents ratings for inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity resulted in standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.60, 1.32]) and SMD = 1.12 (95% CI = [0.85, 1.39]), respectively; pooled teachers ratings showed SMD = 0.98 (95% CI = [0.09, 1.86]) for inattention and SMD = 1.25 (95% CI = [0.7, 1.81]) for hyperactivity/impulsivity. No evidence of association of any covariates with treatment effect was detected in the meta-regression. Conclusion: MPH-IR is efficacious for childhood ADHD for periods longer than 12 weeks.

Mental health economics: Insights from Brazil

Background As the responsibility and demand on health care grows and resources do not increase at the same pace, the healthcare system has been forced to reconsider the benefits and costs of their actions, to ensure a rational and effective decision-making process regarding the adoption of interventions and allocation of resources. Cost-effectiveness (CE) studies represent one of the basic tools to achieve this goal. Aims: To present the current state of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and health economics in mental health in Brazil and its importance to the decision-making process. Methodology: Descriptive paper on HTA and health economics in Brazil. Databases from government and universities as well as some scientific databases to assess the information are presented. Results and Conclusion: Economic analysis to evaluate interventions in mental health care is a relatively recent addition to the field of health economics; in Brazil, it is also considered a topic within Epidemiology research area. There have been an increased number of studies developed in high-income countries. However, there are fewer CE studies in low- and middle-income ones. Psychiatric disorders represent a significant burden in developing countries, where resources devoted to health care are even scarcer.

Psicofármacos para o tratamento de transtornos de ansiedade em crianças e adolescentes: uma revisão sistemática

Anxiety disorders are very prevalent in children and adolescents, causing serious impairments. The pharmacological treatment for these disorders is not much investigated in children and adolescents. Thus, there is no consensus about its indication. The present study aims to check the efficacy and tolerability of drugs used for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents in the context of evidence based medicine. A systematic literature review was carried out in the main databases. In addition, authors were contacted. We found seven studies classified as A or B according to criteria established by the Cochrane Collaboration. Findings suggest efficacy for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, insignificant or unfavorable results for benzodiazepines and imipramine. Some studies present methodological problems. Methodological improvements are needed in futures clinical trials.

Prevalence of obesity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction An increasing number of clinical and epidemiological studies suggest a possible association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity/overweight. However, overall evidence is mixed. Given the public health relevance of ADHD and obesity/overweight, understanding whether and to what extent they are associated is paramount to plan intervention and prevention strategies. We describe the protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at assessing the prevalence of obesity/overweight in individuals with ADHD versus those without ADHD. Methods and analysis We will include studies of any design (except case reports or case series) comparing the prevalence of obesity and/or overweight in children or adults with and without ADHD (or hyperkinetic disorder). We will search an extensive number of databases including PubMed, Ovid databases, Web of Knowledge and Thomson-Reuters databases, ERIC and CINAHL. No restrictions of language will be applied. We will also contact experts in the field for possible unpublished or in press data. Primary and additional outcomes will be the prevalence of obesity and overweight, respectively. We will combine ORs using random-effects models in STATA V.12.0. The quality of the study will be assessed primarily using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Subgroup meta-analyses will be conducted according to participants’ age (children vs adults) and study setting (clinical vs general population). We will explore the feasibility of conducting meta-regression analyses to assess the moderating effect of age, gender, socioeconomic status, study setting, geographic location of the study (low-income, middle-income countries vs high-income countries), definition of obesity, method to assess ADHD, psychiatric comorbidities and medication status. Ethics and dissemination No ethical issues are foreseen. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at national and international conferences of psychiatry, psychology, obesity and paediatrics. Registration PROSPERO-National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42013006410).

Economic evaluation in the field of mental health: conceptual basis.

OBJECTIVE Technological advances in medicine have given rise to a dilemma concerning the use of new health technologies in a context of limited financial resources. In the field of psychiatry, health economic evaluation is a recent method that can assist in choosing interventions with different cost and/or effectiveness for specific populations or conditions. This article introduces clinicians to the fundamental concepts required for critical assessment of health economic evaluations. METHODS The authors conducted a review with systematic methods to assess the essential theoretical framework of health economic evaluation and mental health in Brazil through textbooks and studies indexed in the PubMed, Cochrane Central, LILACS, NHS CRD, and REBRATS databases. A total of 334 studies were found using the specified terms (MeSH - Mental Health AND Economic, Medical) and filters (Brazil AND Humans); however, only five Brazilian economic evaluations were found. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Economic evaluation studies are growing exponentially in the medical literature. Publications focusing on health economics as applied to psychiatry are increasingly common, but Brazilian data are still very incipient. In a country where financial resources are so scarce, economic analyses are necessary to ensure better use of public resources and wider population access to effective health technologies.

Cost-utility analysis of methylphenidate treatment for children and adolescents with ADHD in Brazil

Objective: To perform a cost-utility analysis on the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with methylphenidate immediate-release (MPH-IR) in children and adolescents from Brazil. Method: A Markov model was constructed to compare MPH-IR vs. no treatment. A 24-week naturalistic study was conducted to collect transition probabilities and utility data. Effectiveness was expressed as quality-adjusted life-years (QALY), and costs reported in 2014 international dollars (I

The Brazilian policy of withholding treatment for ADHD is probably increasing health and social costs

). The perspective was the Brazilian Unified Health System as payer, and the time horizon was 6 years. Results: Of 171 patients, 73 provided information at baseline, and 56 at week 24. Considering the MPH-IR monthly cost of I

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder dimensionality: the reliable ‘g’ and the elusive ‘s’ dimensions

38, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of treatment was I

Switching from methylphenidate immediate release to MPH-SODAS™ in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

9,103/QALY for children and I

Heterogeneidade clínica no transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade : uma análise de perfis latentes utilizando neurociência cognitiva

11,883/QALY for adolescents. In two-way sensitivity analysis, considering one Gross National Product per capita (I