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Background: To explore the relationship between adult Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and recurrent group A streptococcus (GAS) infections during early childhood.Method: Childhood history of recurrent GAS infections and a blood sample were collected in a sample of DSM-IV adult ADHD outpatients. The anti-streptolysin O (ASO), anti-deoxyribonuclease B (anti-DNase B), and anti-basal ganglia antibodies (ABGA) titers were determined in patient plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Titers positivity was evaluated following manufacturer's specifications. Absolute titers were also collected as continuous variables.Results: Fourteen out of 22 (63.6%) have had recurrent infections in childhood (i.e., seven, 31.8%, have had tonsillitis or adenoiditis and seven, 31.8%, have had different GAS related infections). Eighteen patients (81.9%) were positive for anti-DNase B, five (22.7%) for ASO, and 4 (18.2%) were positive for both of them. Five participants (22.7%) were ABGA positive, whereas only two (9.1%) were positive for all three antibodies.Conclusions: ADHD patients might be more prone to GAS infections during childhood and seem to have an increased risk for GAS-related autoimmunity in adulthood. Both infections and ensuing acquired autoimmunity could influence the neurodevelopmental process, by contributing, at least in part, to the ADHD pathogenesis. |
