title: Schizophrenia after prenatal exposure to 1957 A2 influenza epidemic.
abstract: "The birth dates of schizophrenic inpatients in eight health regions in England and Wales were reviewed for any effect of the 1957 A2 influenza epidemic. 5 months after the peak infection prevalence, the number of births of individuals who later developed schizophrenia was 88% higher than the average number of such births in the corresponding periods of the 2 previous and the next 2 years. This finding is in accordance with a study from Helsinki and with clinical and neuropathological evidence of aberrant fetal brain development in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia."
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Queen's University of Belfast.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology