title: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: From parents to children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple studies of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have recognised a heritability factor in that a higher frequency of the disorder is observed in children with an affected relative. Our aim was to determine the association between ADHD symptoms in young children enrolled in five schools in Bogota and a history of ADHD symptoms in their parents using the Wender-Utah Rating Scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study of participants selected according to DSM-IV criteria for ADHD and the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC) completed by parents and teachers; the WISC-IV scale was used to exclude children with cognitive deficit. Parents completed the Wender-Utah Rating Scale to retrospectively identify any ADHD symptoms in childhood. A score of 36 was used as a cutoff point.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 202 children: 117 cases and 85 controls. A positive history of ADHD symptoms in childhood was identified for 16% of 175 mothers and 20.6% of 141 fathers. The presence of symptoms in either parent, especially the mother, constitutes a significant risk factor for ADHD in children and this relationship persists after controlling for different variables. If both parents have the disorder, the risk tends to increase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although ADHD has been linked to a genetic component, other environmental factors may be involved in the disorder.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias NeURos, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: alberto.velez@urosario.edu.co.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vélez-van-Meerbeke
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias NeURos, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Talero-Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias NeURos, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zamora-Miramón
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias NeURos, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Guzmán-Ramírez
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003105:Colombia; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005220:Fathers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC); Behaviour; Conducta; DSM-IV; Escala de Wender-Utah; Escala multifuncional de la conducta (BASC); Trastorno por déficit de atención; Wender-Utah Rating Scale