Lessons From the 1918 Flu Pandemic: A Novel Etiologic Subtype of ADHD?

In 2009, Dr. A. Fauci stated “The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic was a defining event in the history of public health.”1 In 2020, a popular medical website suggested the 1918 pandemic may offer “lasting lessons for the world in the grip of COVID-19.”2 One lesson from the 1918 pandemic relates to residual long-term effects . In his influential 1971 book, Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Children,3 Dr. P. Wender reviewed historical accounts of the 1918 pandemic and suggested viral infection had selective brain effects on catecholamine nuclei, and behavioral sequelae in some children emerged and overlapped with symptoms tha t now define attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in some adults, behavioral sequelae emerged that overlapped with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research