ADHD explained

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Our great-grandson, who is 4 1/2 years old, has been diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). We are in our 80s and cannot recall your ever mentioning it. We have been told that he inherited it from his father. His doctors are considering medicine for him. What does the future hold? -- E. and B.L.

ANSWER: Let’s get the genetic part out of the way. About 25 percent of children with ADHD have a parent (mother or father) who has or had it. More boys than girls have it. Maybe that’s why your source indicted the father, but it could be the mother. Or, as is the case 75 percent of the time, neither parent has or had it.

ADHD is a common problem, with anywhere from 3 percent to 10 percent of children having it. Affected children are in perpetual motion. They find it difficult to focus on a task for any length of time. They’re impulsive, blurting out information when they’re not asked for it and jumping out of their seats to do things that should not be done.

The reason ADHD is so hard on a child is because it prevents the child from learning to his or her full capacity, and it disrupts a classroom.

There are a number of ways to control ADHD. Parents learning how to administer rational, calm discipline and how to overlook some of the child’s behavior can bring about changes in the way the child reacts. Teachers can do the same. Sometimes medicines are needed. It’s believed that ADHD results from a botched-up release of two brain chemicals -- dopamine and norepinephrine. Ritalin can stimulate the brain to release those chemical messengers to help the child gain control. Ritalin is only one example of an ADHD medicine.

The future looks bright for your great-grandchild. Symptoms often improve with time, although ADHD can persist into adulthood in some people. Dealing with it now will make things better for the child as he grows older.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 87 and was told by an eye doctor that I have the slow type of macular degeneration. I can still drive and read. I met a lady who told me she has had eye treatments with Visudyne and that they have helped her. I wonder if it’s best for me to take these treatments now. -- J.G.

ANSWER: Many people your age have the beginnings of dry macular degeneration (the slow kind), and most of them will live their life without losing their sight.

Visudyne is treatment for wet macular degeneration, the kind that happens only to 10 percent of those with this illness. “Wet” means that new but fragile vessels sprout on the retina and macula, and leak fluid, which interferes with sight. Wet macular degeneration can progress rapidly.