Cognitive functioning and psychiatric disorders in children with a metabolic disease.
OBJECTIVE
To report on the intelligence scores and the psychiatric pathology of distinct groups of children with metabolic diseases.


METHODS
The study population consists of 53 children between 0 and 18 years of age. Diagnostic assessment included a semi-structured interview, self-report questionnaires and a standard intelligence test.


RESULTS
In 40% of the children older than 5 years, a child psychiatric diagnosis was made. While CBCL total and internalizing scores did not differ between metabolic disease groups, the CBCL externalizing scores for some groups did. Two fifths of the children showed a below normal intelligence, while a performal-verbal IQ discrepancy was found in half of the children. Of the school aged children almost one third attended a special needs school.


CONCLUSIONS
In spite of the small sample size, the results suggest substantial psychiatric problems in children with a metabolic disease. Further study on larger groups is warranted, which should enable further comparison of patients affected by specific metabolic diseases.
University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Middelheim Hospital, Lindendreef 1, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
Annik
A
Simons
François
F
Eyskens
Ann
A
De Groof
Ellen
E
Van Diest
Dirk
D
Deboutte
Robert
R
Vermeiren
D000293:Adolescent; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D008661:Metabolism, Inborn Errors / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence