Physical comorbidity among children with neurodevelopmental disorders

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Md Faruq Alam, Helal Uddin Ahmed, Mohammad Tariqul Alam, Mekhala Sarker, Saima Talukder, Fatima Zohra, Navid Farhan, Abdullah Al-Mamun and Md Jamal Hossain

National Institute of Mental Health, Bangladesh

: J Spine Neurosurg

Abstract

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Frequent physical comorbidity among children with neurodevelopmental disorders impairs management process. The study aimed at identifying common physical comorbid disorders associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Children with neurodevelopmental disorders attending Child Guidance Clinic (CGC) of National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka during the period of September 2017 to April 2018 were assessed. DSM-5 criteria for neurodevelopmental disorders were followed for diagnosis by child psychiatrists working in the institute. Physical comorbidities were diagnosed by history, physical examination, relevant investigations and consultation with the consultants of the respective disciplines. Major physical comorbidities found in the study included epilepsy, cerebral palsy, obesity, diabetes mellitus, enuresis, respiratory tract infection, skin diseases, ear infection and urinary tract infection. Care of the physical disorders needs attention for proper management of these children.

Biography

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Md Faruq Alam is the Director of National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka and also Head of the department of Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatry of the Institute. He completed medical graduation in 1984 and obtained fellowship in Psychiatry in 1993. He was the key person in various national surveys on mental health in Bangladesh and was the Executive Editor of Bangladesh Journal of Psychiatry for a decade. He has special interest incommunity psychiatry, child and adolescent mental health and research activities. There are 64 publication to his credit.

E-mail: maksud.mktg@generalpharma.com