Association of Celiac Disease with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The association of the celiac disease with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is unclear.

The current study aimed to examine this relationship and the prevalence of the celiac disease in ADHD patients.

From 2016 to 2018, we tested 99 patients aged 4 to 18 years with ADHD diagnosed with clinical interviews for serum IgA and anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibody for the diagnosis of celiac disease.

There was no IgA deficiency in our patients. The prevalence of positive anti-tTG antibody-IgA test was 6.06%, all in boys. The ADHD children with positive test results were significantly heavier and more well-nourished. There was no association between ADHD severity serum anti-tTG antibody positivity.

The prevalence of celiac serology was higher in ADHD children than in the general population. Among all symptoms of celiac disease and ADHD, only was body mass index significantly higher in patients with positive serology.