Late-onset ADHD in adults: milder, but still dysfunctional.
J Psychiatr Res
; 43(7): 697-701, 2009 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19007940
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The requirement in classificatory systems that some impairment from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms starts before 7 years of age (age of onset of impairment criteria - AOC) has been harshly criticized. Although there is evidence that late-onset ADHD is a valid diagnosis, little is known about the role of age of onset of impairment on the clinical profile of adult patients.METHODS:
The diagnoses of 349 adults with ADHD followed DSM-IV criteria. ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were evaluated with the K-SADS-E, and other comorbidities with the SCID-IV and the MINI. Subjects were divided in early and late-onset groups (age of onset of impairment between 7 and 12 years old). The effect of age of onset over clinical and demographic characteristics was tested by regression models.RESULTS:
Late-onset subjects were diagnosed later (P=0.04), had a lower frequency of problems with authority and discipline (P=0.004), and lower scores in SNAP-IV (P<0.001) and in Barkley's scale for problems in areas of life activities (P=0.03). On the other hand, late-onset patients presented a higher prevalence of comorbid general anxiety disorder (GAD) (P=0.01). Both groups had a similar profile in the remaining comorbidities and sociodemographic characteristics.CONCLUSIONS:
This study provides initial evidence that adults with late-onset ADHD have less severity, lower frequency of externalizing symptoms and increased comorbidity with GAD, but similar profile in other comorbidities. In addition, the data suggest that late-onset patients have a higher probability of delayed diagnosis despite the significant impairment of their condition.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Transtornos de Ansiedade
/
Transtorno do Deficit de Atenção com Hiperatividade
/
Transtornos de Deficit da Atenção e do Comportamento Disruptivo
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País como assunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2009
Tipo de documento:
Article