Neurodivergent children more likely to develop chronic fatigue as teen, study finds

NEW DELHI: Children more likely to be diagnosed with neurodivergence, such as autism or ADHD, are at twice the odds of experiencing chronic disabling fatigue in late teenage, thereby "dramatically" affecting their quality of lives, a study has found. In attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one has shorter attention spans, along with displaying restlessness and impulsive behaviour.

Researchers explained that neurodivergent children often experience heightened stress levels. As a result, the increased inflammation could be contributing to chronic, or persistent, fatigue -- one of the many often seen to co-occur with neurodivergence.

Other conditions can include the chronic pain condition, fibromyalgia, and digestive and gut issues. Fibromyalgia is marked by muscle pain throughout their body, often accompanied by fatigue and mood changes.

However, the researchers, including those at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), UK, said inflammation is not the only contributor, as previous studies have shown that neurodivergent children experience higher levels of loneliness and are more likely to be bullied.

These children are also more vulnerable to pain, owing to differences in their pain perception when compared with the general population, along with malfunctions in the dopamine system, known to be involved in cognition and motivation, the authors said in the study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open.

Therefore, they called for future research that could disentangle the complex mechanisms driving chronic fatigue in neurodivergent children.

For the study, parents or caregivers of children aged seven or nine years filled out questionnaires, the responses to which were used for developing an autism or hyperactivity score, respectively.

While a higher autism score indicated more chances of diagnosis, a higher hyperactivity score was indicative of greater behavioural issues, including conduct and emotional ones.

Once the children turned 18, they were asked to complete a questionnaire for assessing their chronic disabling fatigue, involving questions around their energy levels and motivation. The researchers received over 4,500 responses.

Children indicating autistic traits at age seven were about 78 per cent more likely to experience chronic disabling fatigue when they turned 18, while those showing ADHD-like behaviour at age nine were over twice as likely to experience the condition in late teenage, the authors found.

"These results show the importance of trans-diagnostic screening for (processes common across multiple disorders) in children and the need for better support for neurodivergent children," lead researcher Lisa Quadt, a research fellow in psychiatry at BSMS, said.