Abstract

Objective: Oxidative metabolism abnormalities are gaining attention as an important factor for psychiatric disorders including attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Only a handful of studies have investigated the possible relation between adult ADHD and oxidative stress. However, we found no research about oxidative DNA damage among adult ADHD patients.
Methods: The study comprised of 43 A-ADHD patients and 30 healthy controls. Serum total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI) and 8-hydroxy-2′- deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were measured and compared in cross-sectional design.
Results: No difference was observed in terms of oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage across groups. Patients with comorbid psychiatric diagnosis had significantly increased TOS and OSI levels when compared with patients who had no comorbidity.
Conclusion: According to our results, oxidative balance among adult ADHD patients were not impaired. This result is discordant with the majority of the findings of the studies performed in children and adolescents and animals. Oxidative stress may not have a specific role in the ethiopathogenesis of ADHD in adults.

Key words: Adult ADHD, oxidative balance, 8-hydroxy-2′- deoxyguanosine