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Objective: The etiologies of attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have not been fully clarified, yet. Genetic and non-genetic factors may contribute to development of ADHD. Recently, role of the elements such as magnesium, lead and zinc in etiology of pediatric ADHD has been investigated. In this study, we aimed to investigate relationship between serum ceruloplasmin, copper and ferroxidase levels and A-ADHD.
Method: 50 A-ADHD patients, who were diagnosed according to Turgay's Turkish version of A-ADHD DSM IV-Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale (ASRS) at the outpatient clinic of Gaziantep University, Medical Faculty, and Psychiatry Department were enrolled in this study. The control group consisted of 27 healthy subjects in similar age and gender with the patients. Blood samples were collected at 8:00 am and serum samples were stored at -70 ºC after immediate centrifugation (1000xg, 10 min). Erel's ceruloplasmin assay method that is based on the enzymatic oxidation of ferrous ions to ferric ions was used.
Results: There was no significant difference in serum ceruloplasmin levels between the two groups (p>0.05), however serum copper and ferro-oxidase levels in A-ADHD group was significantly lower than the control group (p<0.01and p=0.024, respectively). According to ADHD subtypes, there was no significant difference in serum ceruloplasmin, copper and ferro-oxidase levels (p=0.662, p=0.062 and p=0.426, respectively). Serum copper levels were significantly positively related to a number of criteria met in ADHD attention scale (ro= 0.349, p=0.014).
Conclusion: This research has revealed that there was copper and ferro-oxsidase deficiency in adult ADHD. It is clear that further studies are needed in order to confirm the results of this study and to understand the roles of ferro-oxidase and copper in the pathophysiology of A-ADHD.