Abstract
Current evidence suggests that the syndrome of hyperkinesis occurs in a heterogeneous group of children and results from multiple etiologies. Hyperkinesis can occur in children with normal intelligence who have emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, phobias, psychoses, and personality disorders. It is frequently found in children with minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) where it may be associated with “soft neurological signs” such as impairment of laterality and spatial orientation, and evidence of motor incoordination (Wender, 1971). Hyperactivity in children has been related to organic brain syndromes, sensory disorders like blindness or deafness, endocrine disorders like hyperthyroidism and possibly hypoglycemia, and toxicity from environmental pollutants like lead. The fact that the syndrome is from four to nine times more prevalent in males than females suggests that there may be a genetic factor as well. In addition to those factors that have been unequivocally demonstrated to contribute to etiology, claims have been made that the hyperkinetic syndrome may be associated with food allergy, vitamin deficiency, stress from fluorescent lighting and television cathode tubes, and the ingestion of food additives.
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© 1982 Plenum Press, New York
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Lipton, M.A., Wheless, J.C. (1982). The Hyperkinesis Controversy. In: Jelliffe, E.F.P., Jelliffe, D.B. (eds) Adverse Effects of Foods. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3359-3_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3359-3_17
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