Is There a Significant Deterioration in Blood Lipid Levels of Children and Adolescents Diagnosed with Conduct Disorder?

Conduct disorder (CD) is diagnosed in childhood or adolescence and presents itself through a persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate norms are violated. It affects not only the individual and family but also the society negatively. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be defined as a precursor of CD. Some studies indicate that there is a relationship between serum cholesterol and ADHD. The associations between serum lipid levels and antisocial personality disorder (APD), which often develops after CD, have also been demonstrated. To our knowledge this study is the first to examine the relationship between cholesterol levels and “conduct disorder” as a diagnosis. For this study the files of the patients who were examined between December 2017 and December 2019 were scrutinized to determine patients with CD. Results revealed that there were 45 patients with CD without a comorbid disease, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. Fasting serum total cholesterol (T-Chol), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels in blood tests of these 45 patients and age- and gender-matched 45 healthy children and adolescents, were compared. As a result of these, serum total cholesterol and LDL-C levels were found to be lower in children and adolescents with a diagnosis of CD (p = <.001). The results of our study indicates that serum lipid levels may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of CD. More studies examining biochemical markers are necessary to develop more appropriate treatments for CD. As far as we are concerned, our study will shed light on new researches regarding the etiology of CD, which is an important childhood and adolescence psychiatric disorder.