Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occur and show high genetic correlation. With the introduction of DSM-5, there is a new concept of an ASD and/or ADHD spectrum (ASD/ADHD). This study aimed to identify predictors of severity and need of healthcare within this spectrum. 39 families with multiple individuals affected by ASD/ADHD were recruited from a psychiatric clinic. Diagnoses, functional and demographic characteristics were retrieved from journals while hospital admissions were identified in the Danish health register. An estimated fraction of 31% ASD/ADHD patients had never been hospitalized and 35% remained undiagnosed despite hospitalization. Cluster analysis identified trajectories that discriminate age of diagnosis, educational attainment to degree of severity, need of hospitalization and genetic risk.
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Acknowledgments
The research leading to these results has received funding from The Lundbeck Foundation No. R208-2015-3951 and Fonden for Faglig Udvikling af Speciallægepraksis No. 38850/16.
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The project leading to this publication was lead by SL. JL and KDJ initiated the project. SL recruited the sample. SL developed the strategy and performed the computations, supervised by TW and AKP. MB and ABD assisted and verified the analytical methods. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript. SL is the main author of the manuscript.
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Thomas Werge has served as a lecturer for and consultant to H. Lundbeck A/S. Jette LaBianca has served at the advisory board for H. Lundbeck A/S and as lecturer for H. Lundbeck A/S, Shire and Servier. Klaus Damgaard Jakobsen has been a consultant for AstraZeneca, on advisory board for Bristol Myers Squibb and received speaker’s honoraria from Lundbeck Pharma The rest of the authors report no conflict of interest.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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LaBianca, S., Pagsberg, A.K., Jakobsen, K.D. et al. Brief Report: Clusters and Trajectories Across the Autism and/or ADHD Spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 3629–3636 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3618-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3618-6