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Is late-onset OCD a distinct phenotype? Findings from a comparative analysis of “age at onset” groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2015

Eesha Sharma ,
A. Shyam Sundar ,
Kandavel Thennarasu  and
Y. C. Janardhan Reddy
Eesha Sharma*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, King George Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
A. Shyam Sundar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Kandavel Thennarasu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Y. C. Janardhan Reddy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr. Eesha Sharma, MD, Department of Psychiatry, King George Medical University, Lucknow (226003), Uttar Pradesh, India. (Email: eesha.250@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Objective

Significant differences in clinical profile and comorbidity patterns have been observed between “juvenile-onset” and “adult-onset” obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There is little systematic research on onset of OCD after the fourth decade. The current study aims to compare the demographic, clinical, and comorbidity patterns of patients with “juvenile-onset” (<18 years), “adult-onset” (18–39 years), and “late-onset” (≥40 years) OCD.

Method

Eight hundred two consecutive patients who consulted a specialty OCD clinic at a tertiary care hospital in India were evaluated with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, and the Clinical Global Impression scale.

Results

37.4%, 57.4%, and 5.2% of patients had juvenile-, adult-, and late-onset OCD, respectively. Late-onset OCD was associated with female gender (χ2=42, p<0.001); negative family history of OCD in first-degree relatives (χ2=20.4, p<0.001); and less aggressive obsessions (χ2=18.16, p<0.001), sexual obsessions (χ2=26.68, p<0.001), pathological doubts (χ2=19.41; p<0.001), and repeating rituals (χ2=44.28; p<0.001). On multinomial logistic regression, late-onset OCD was significantly associated with female gender, collecting compulsions, and less aggressive obsessions, in comparison with adult-onset OCD. In comparison with juvenile-onset, late-onset OCD was significantly associated with female gender, presence of precipitating factors, and less aggressive obsessions, sexual obsessions, and repeating compulsions.

Conclusion

Late-onset OCD is characterized by female gender, lesser familial loading for OCD, and presence of precipitating factors, suggesting that it may have a distinct pathophysiology compared to juvenile- and adult-onset OCD. Systematic research is required to understand the family-genetic, neuropsychological, and neurobiological correlates of late-onset OCD.

Keywords

Age at onsetclassificationlate-onsetgenderobsessive compulsive disorder

Information

Type
Original Research
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , October 2015 , pp. 508 - 514
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2015 

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