The comparison between the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in ADHD children with healthy subjects

Objective: ADHD is a neuropsychiatric disorder (neuropsychiatric disorder) associated with inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Different studies have identified the role of the immune system and pro-inflammatory cytokines in psychiatric illnesses, such as ADHD. This study aimed to compare the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in ADHD children with healthy subjects.

Methods & Materials: 20 children ages 10-2 years, referred to the outpatient clinic of the Ibn-e-sina psychiatric hospital during 2015-2016 who diagnosed with ADHD based on DSM-5 criteria and psychiatric structural interview enrolled in our study. For the control group, 20 children without a history of psychiatric illness, after the structural interview by a psychiatric assistant and obtaining inclusion criteria were enrolled in the trial as well. After obtaining consent from the parents or legal guardians from both groups, a 2.5 cc blood sample has been taken and serum levels of IL-2, TNFα were measured by ELISA method. Data were analyzed with SPSS software (version 11.5). The significance level was considered p-value <0.05.

Results: The mean age in the ADHD group was 8.2 ± 1.36 years old while in the control group was 6.5 ± 1.35. The mean TNF-α level was 7.75 with a standard deviation of 5.22. The level of TNF-α in the ADHD group was greater than the control group, but this is not statistically significant between the two groups. (P-value: 0.24) Mean interleukin level was 139.45 ± 161.51 with a standard deviation. The level of interleukin in the case group was lower than the control group, which was not statistically significant. (P-value: 0.28)

Conclusion: The results showed that there is no significant difference between ADHD children’s pro-inflammatory cytokines level compared with healthy subjects. These factors are not considered as direct causes of ADHD disorder.