Exploring the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and entrepreneurship

Objective: To investigate the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and entrepreneurial profiles and the effects of entrepreneurial characteristics in individuals who screen positive for ADHD and self-identify as entrepreneurs. Methods: We sent 4,341 questionnaires by e-mail to applicants for a career development course for entrepreneurs. We used the propensity score covariate adjustment to balance differences between included and excluded individuals. ADHD symptoms were evaluated with the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. The Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation scale was used to assess the entrepreneurial profile of the participants. Impairment from ADHD symptoms was assessed with the Barkley Functional Impairment Scale. Results: Those who screened positive for ADHD had higher risk-taking scores (p-value = 0.016) and lower proactivity (p-value = 0.001) than those who screened negative. Higher inattention scores were related to lower proactivity (p-value < 0.001), while higher hyperactive symptom scores were related to a more generalized entrepreneurial profile (p-value = 0.033). Among ADHD-positive participants, entrepreneurial profile scores were not significantly associated with company profits or impairment. Conclusions: Inattention symptoms were related to less proactivity, whereas hyperactive symptoms were positively associated with a general entrepreneurial orientation. ADHD-positive individuals had a higher risk-taking profile, and these characteristics did not negatively impact their lives.

Fibrosis endomiocárdica / Endomyocardial fibrosis

Resumen La fibrosis endomiocárdica o endocarditis de Löffler es una patología de causa todavía desconocida, esta puede presentarse durante la evolución de diversas enfermedades de causa infecciosa, tumoral, autoinmune, medicamentos, etc. En muchos casos el presentar eosinofilia moderada (más de 1500 eosinófilos/microlitro) por largos períodos de tiempo puede producir toxicidad en diferentes órganos, entre ellos el corazón, produciendo disfunción del mismo por infiltración directa lo cual daña el tejido y también por las proteínas encontradas en los gránulos, principalmente la proteína catiónica eosinofílica y la proteína básica mayor que tienen predilección por el tejido endocárdico, llevando a su destrucción celular, lo que se traducirá en engrosamiento y fibrosis del subendocardio. Estas alteraciones conllevan a la cardiomiopatía restrictiva, siendo la fibrosis endomiocárdica su principal causa. Se presenta el caso de un paciente masculino de 30 a˜nos de edad, que ingresa al hospital por un cuadro de falla cardiaca aguda con evidencia en el ecocardiograma de ingreso de un componente restrictivo biventricular, el cual en diferentes series se presenta hasta en el 51% de los casos. El paciente presentaba una enfermedad hematológica de base, donde la eosinofilia era persistente durante más de 6 meses.

Abstract Endomyocardial fibrosis or Löffler endocarditis is a condition whose cause still remains unknown. It can develop during the progress of multiple infectious or tumour diseases, medication, etc. In many cases, showing moderate eosinophilia (more than 1500 eosinophils/ microliter) for long periods of time can cause organ toxicity, among them the heart. This produces a dysfunction of the heart due to direct infiltration, which damages the tissue, and also due to the proteins found in the granules, mostly eosinophil cationic protein and major basic protein, which have a predilection for endocardial tissue, leading to their cell destruction, which will translate into a subcardial enlargement and fibrosis. These alterations result in restrictive cardiomyopathy, endomyocardial fibrosis being their main cause. We present the case of a 30 year-old male patient who is admitted at the hospital due to acute heart failure with an admission echocardiogram that evidenced a restrictive biventricular component, present in up to 51% of the cases in different series. The patient had a base hematological disorder, where eosinophilia had been persistent for more than 6 months.