Real-world Status of Kampo Medicine Treatment for Mental and Behavioral Disorders in Children: An Analysis Using Large-scale Health Insurance Claims Data

Abstract

This study used large-scale administrative claims data to clarify the actual status of Kampo medicine prescriptions for mental and behavioral disorders in children in Japan. We analyzed data from 11 health insurance societies collected by the Occupational Health Data Science Center at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (UOEH). The study targeted insured individuals aged 0 to 18 years over a three-year period from 2020 to 2022. Among the 358,347 children in the population, 26,453 were diagnosed with mental and behavioral disorders (ICD-10: F00–F99). Of these, 5,092 patients (approximately 19%) were prescribed Kampo medicine. The prescription rate increased with age, reaching approximately 24% in the 15–18 age group. By diagnosis, Kampo medicine was prescribed for 8% of patients with pervasive developmental disorders (F84) and approximately 9% of those with hyperkinetic disorders (F90). Yokukansan was the most frequently prescribed formulation across all age groups, followed by Kambakutaisoto. This study reveals that Kampo medicine is utilized by a significant proportion of pediatric psychiatric patients, suggesting its potential role as a complementary treatment for emotional and behavioral symptoms associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Future detailed analyses and clinical studies that consider clinical symptoms and concomitant medications are required to verify the efficacy and safety of Kampo medicine.