Objective: Although a strong inflammatory basis has been demonstrated, the pathophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been defined clearly. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), one of the inflammatory disruptors, plays a role in the etiology of ADHD.
Materials and Methods: The study population comprised 50 patients aged 7–13 years, diagnosed with ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, without any chronic or other psychiatric disease, and 25 healthy controls. Parents of the children in the study group completed the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale—Revised Short, and teachers completed the Conners’ Teacher Rating Scale—Revised Short. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to measure suPAR levels in plasma samples.
Results: The mean plasma suPAR level of patients with ADHD was 2.92±1.74 ng/ml, the suPAR level of the controls was 2.54±1.05 ng/ml, and there was no significant difference in suPAR levels between ADHD and controls (Z=0.084, p=0.933). No correlation was found between plasma suPAR levels and ADHD severity as assessed by Conners’ parent and teacher scales.
Conclusion: The role of inflammatory systems and mediators in ADHD was emphasized in many studies, and many important data on ADHD etiopathology were obtained. However, we found no significant relationship between ADHD and suPAR levels. Further research is needed with large samples.