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Clinical features of drug abuse that reflect genetic risk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2014

K. S. Kendler ,
H. Ohlsson ,
K. Sundquist  and
J. Sundquist
K. S. Kendler*
Affiliation:
Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
H. Ohlsson
Affiliation:
Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
K. Sundquist
Affiliation:
Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
J. Sundquist
Affiliation:
Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: K. S. Kendler, M.D., Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics of VCU, Box 980126, Richmond, VA 23298-0126, USA. (Email: kendler@vcu.edu)
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Abstract

Background

Drug abuse (DA) is a clinically heterogeneous syndrome. Can we, in a large epidemiological sample, identify clinical features of DA cases that index genetic risk?

Method

Using registration in medical, legal or pharmacy records, we identified four kinds of relative pairs (n = 935 854) starting with a proband with DA: monozygotic co-twins; full siblings; half-siblings; and cousins. Using linear hazard regression, we examined the interaction between three clinical features of DA in the proband and risk for DA in these four relative pairs, ordered by degree of genetic relationship.

Results

Increased risk for DA in relatives was robustly predicted by early age at first registration, total number of registrations, and ascertainment in the criminal versus the medical or pharmacy registry. In multivariate models, all three of these variables remained significant and in aggregate strongly predicted DA risk in relatives. The risk for DA in siblings of DA probands in the highest decile of genetic risk predicted by our three indices was more than twice as great as that predicted in siblings of probands in the lowest decile of risk.

Conclusions

In an epidemiological sample, genetic risk for DA can be substantially indexed by simple clinical and historical variables.

Keywords

Age at first registrationdrug abusegenetic riskSweden
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 44 , Issue 12 , September 2014 , pp. 2547 - 2556
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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