Dangers Of Wrong Diagnosis: Rare Cancers May Disguise Itself As ADHD In Children

Rare cancers may be disguising itself as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, in children. A new study found that these rare cancers masquerade the same symptoms commonly seen in ADHD patients.

Wrong Diagnosis

The matter can lead to wrong diagnosis and threat to children's health. The research, which was conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health, examined children who have rare tumors called pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas, or PHEO/PGL.

These rare tumors produce catecholamines, which are substances that serve as stimulants to a person's central nervous system. From January 2006 to May 2014, researchers examined 43 children who have these tumors, and nine of them have been diagnosed with ADHD prior to the removal of their tumors.

Rare Tumors To Be Blamed

Out of those nine children, four had been given stimulant drugs used to manage ADHD patients like amphetamine, dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate. These medicines gave the children headaches, hypertension and excessive sweating, the NIH further reported.

After the PHEO/PGL tumors were removed, children stopped displaying ADHD symptoms. NIH researchers said the kids' anxiety and concentration issues were due to the tumors and not because they have ADHD. There are no known environmental, lifestyle and dietary risk factors that contribute to the development of PHEO/PGL, Cancer.gov wrote.

The signs and symptoms of ADHD usually appear before children reach seven years old, HelpGuide.org wrote. The three primary indicators of ADHD are inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Kids who have ADHD, however, are commonly creative, flexible, energetic, driven, spontaneous and enthusiastic.

Overprescription of ADHD Drugs

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that doctors in the U.S. are overprescribing ADHD drugs to children below six years old. According to the CDC, less than half of kids receive training and behavior therapy for their condition. Behavior therapy is the first in line when it comes to controlling the symptoms of ADHD, mostly because the side effects of drugs like Adderall and Ritalin aren't 100 percent determined yet.

CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schucat said behavior therapy is as effective as drug medication minus the long-term side effects, NBC News reported. With behavior therapy, parents who have kids with ADHD are trained to encourage positive behavior, reject negative behavior, strengthen their parent-child relationship and improve communication.

Behavior therapy also has pleasant results among older children. Researchers from the Florida International University found that behavior therapy has positive outcomes among children aged 5-12 with ADHD than drug medication.