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Anti-Basal Ganglia Antibodies and Streptococcal Infection in ADHD
Sergio Aguilera-Albesa1, Nerea Crespo-Eguílaz2, José Luis Del Pozo2
11 Navarra Health Service Hospital, Pamplona, Spain.
Objective:
Group A Streptococcus has been associated with ADHD, tic disorders (TD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) through anti-basal ganglia antibodies (ABGA).
Method:
We investigated the association between ABGA and streptococcal exposure with behavioral, motor, and cognitive measures in 38 children with ADHD not comorbid to OCD or TD (nc-ADHD) and in 38 healthy children. An additional group of 15 children with TD and/or OCD was examined.
Results:
ABGA titers were present in 3% of nc-ADHD patients and controls but in 27% of TD and/or OCD patients. Evidence of streptococcal exposure was similar between ADHD patients and controls living in the same urban area. Behavioral, motor, and cognitive measures were not associated with anti-streptococcal antibodies.
Conclusion:
ABGA do not distinguish nc-ADHD from controls. The differences in the frequency of streptococcal exposure in previous studies are determined by the dynamic nature of the infection rather than the behavioral phenotype of ADHD.
