Challenges in diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in pediatric practice: A regional and global perspective
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Babu Sandilyan Mani, Ehab Mohamed Hantash, Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Zahrani, Osama Toema
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Osama Toema, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Algharbia, Egypt
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center, King Abdulla Medical City, Arabian Gulf University, Manama 26671, Bahrain
Babu Sandilyan Mani, Psychological Medicine Service, Royal Berkshire Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, Reading 38, United Kingdom
Ehab Mohamed Hantash, Department of Aanatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta Algharbia, Tanta 31511, Algharbia, Egypt
Ehab Mohamed Hantash, Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Zahrani, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Al Rayan Hospital, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Riyadh 100266, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Zahrani, Department of Pediatrics, Alfaisal School of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 50927, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Al-Beltagi M conceptualized the review, conducted the literature search, and led the writing and revision of the manuscript; Mani BS contributed psychiatric and psychological insights and critically reviewed the manuscript; Hantash EM assisted in drafting clinical content and refining pediatric implications; Al Zahrani AA provided input on diagnostic challenges in the Arabian Gulf region and helped revise regional aspects; Toema O contributed to the discussion on comorbidities and differential diagnosis; all authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the content of this article. No financial, personal, or professional affiliations influenced the preparation, analysis, or interpretation of this manuscript.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Mohammed Al-Beltagi, MD, PhD, Consultant, Head, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, 1 Hassan Radwan Street, Tanta 31511, Algharbia, Egypt.
mbelrem@hotmail.com
Received: July 6, 2025
Revised: July 16, 2025
Accepted: October 14, 2025
Published online: December 9, 2025
Processing time: 116 Days and 18.2 Hours
