Epidemiological Investigation on the Clinical Status of the Developmental Dyslexia and ADHD Comorbidity among School-Age Children in Pakistan

Developmental Dyslexia (DD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders affecting children's learning abilities worldwide, but limited research exists in Pakistan. We tried to identify and confirm ADHD and DD in Pakistani school children and their sociodemographic associations. We conducted a case-control study, examining an extensive cohort of children (n = 1260), aged 5 - 19 years from special education program schools, rehabilitation centers, and pediatric clinics between 2022 and 2023. Standardized psychological evaluations were conducted to confirm cases, and clinical, biochemical, demographic, and family history data were collected. About 288 children were identified and diagnosed with ADHD or DD, compared to 27 controls. In our child cohort males dominate the distribution (65%) compared to females (35%) compared to 56% and 44% representation of males and females respectively in controls. Our findings revealed an extensive gender difference within the cases and a significant difference (p-value = 0.05) with Hydroxy D3 levels compared to the control group. Our observations are consistent with previous studies, showing a lack of associations with sociodemographic and blood biochemical levels, suggesting other factors may influence the development of these disorders.