title: Does age of onset of impairment impact on neuropsychological and personality features of adult ADHD?
abstract: The consideration of age of onset of impairment as part of the ADHD diagnosis is controversial and has been a revisited issue with the emergence of the new classifications in Psychiatry. The aim of this study is to compare patients with early and late onset of ADHD impairment in terms of neuropsychological and personality characteristics. Adult patients with ADHD (n = 415) were evaluated in the ADHD outpatient program at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil. The diagnostic process for ADHD and comorbidities was based on DSM-IV criteria. The comparison between the two ages of onset groups (before 7; n = 209 or from 7 to 12 years; n = 206) was performed with ANOVA, followed by Stepwise forward regression analyses to restrict the number of comparisons and access the possible effect of multiple confounders. Patients with early onset ADHD present higher scores in novelty seeking in both analyses (respectively P = 0.016 and P = 0.002), but similar cognitive and attention features as compared with the late onset group. These data add to previous evidence that despite a more externalizing profile of early onset ADHD, the overall performance is similar reinforcing the need for awareness and inclusion of the late onset group in DSM-V diagnostic criteria.
authors: ADHD Outpatient Program - Adult Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Paula O
authors: PO
authors: Guimarães-da-Silva
authors: Katiane L
authors: KL
authors: Silva
authors: Eugenio H
authors: EH
authors: Grevet
authors: Carlos A I
authors: CA
authors: Salgado
authors: Rafael G
authors: RG
authors: Karam
authors: Marcelo M
authors: MM
authors: Victor
authors: Eduardo S
authors: ES
authors: Vitola
authors: Nina R
authors: NR
authors: Mota
authors: Aline G
authors: AG
authors: Fischer
authors: Felipe A
authors: FA
authors: Picon
authors: Guilherme P
authors: GP
authors: Bertuzzi
authors: Evelise R
authors: ER
authors: Polina
authors: Luis A
authors: LA
authors: Rohde
authors: Paulo
authors: P
authors: Belmonte-de-Abreu
authors: Claiton H D
authors: CH
authors: Bau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult