Aim of the study:
To compare the prevalence of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among male alcohol users.

Subject or material and methods:
The current case-control study included 50 male patients with alcohol abuse and 50 age-matched healthy controls. Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale-Revised, severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire, alcohol use disorders identification test, Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview Scale, adult ADHD self-report scale version 1.1 screener, diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders criteria for adult ADHD, and ADHD-rating scale-IV were used to assess the patients. The data obtained were analyzed using EPIINFO 7 and compared using paired t-test, student’s t-test, and Pearson’s chi-square test (P ≤ 0.05).

Results:
The prevalence of undiagnosed ADHD was significantly higher in alcohol abuse cases when compared to healthy controls (31 vs. 4; P < 0.0001). The most common (16) subtype of ADHD in alcohol abuse cases was the hyperactive/impulsive type, whereas in controls, it was the inattentive type (3). The severity of alcohol dependence was moderate in alcohol abuse cases with adult ADHD (25), whereas mild dependence was observed in cases without adult ADHD (9). The SAD-Q (34.46 ± 7.70 vs. 32.12 ± 10.17) and AUDIT-C (31.34 ± 3.63 vs. 29.23 ± 5.43) scores were higher in cases with adult ADHD as compared to cases without ADHD.

Discussion:
A significant association between alcohol abuse and the prevalence of ADHD was observed. The majority of the patients were young adults indicating that alcohol abuse with or without ADHD tends to commence early in life.

Conclusions:
Patients diagnosed with alcohol abuse should be screened frequently and treated for ADHD.