Lack of Association between Anti-Phospholipid Antibodies (APLA) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children

Numerous studies have shown the pathological influence anti -phospholipid antibodies (APLA) have on the physiology of the single neuron as well as the function of the entire human nervous system. The influence is well demonstrated in the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This syndrome is characterized by a triad of arterial or venous thrombotic events, recurrent fetal loss and thrombocytopenic purpura. The syndrome exhibits different neurological pathologies such as: chorea, seizures, transverse myelopathy, migraine, cerebral ataxia, hemiballismus and transient global amnesia, which are not fully explained by the procoagulopathic trait of APLA. A study on mice induced with APS demonstrated hyperactive behavior when compared to the control group. The information gathered from these different studies raised the question whether APLA has any part in the etiology of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in children. We compared 41 children diagnosed with ADHD to a control of 28 healthy children. Blood drawn from the two groups was screened using ELISA for the presence of anti-cardiolipin antibodies, anti-β2GP antibodies, anti-phosphatidyleserine antibodies and anti-ethanolamine antibodies. The results show no significant difference in the level of antiphospholipid antibodies (APLA) measured between the children diagnosed with ADHD and the control group.