Clinical and neuropsychological characteristics of patients with late-onset schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
The goal was to compare clinical and neuropsychological characteristics of patients with late-onset schizophrenia, a poorly studied and controversial entity, with those of patients with early-onset schizophrenia and normal subjects.


METHODS
The authors evaluated 25 patients who met DSM-III-R criteria as well as their own research criteria for late-onset schizophrenia (i.e., schizophrenia with onset after age 45) and compared them with 39 patients with early-onset schizophrenia and 35 normal subjects in this nonepidemiologic study.


RESULTS
Patients with late-onset schizophrenia were similar to patients with early-onset schizophrenia and different from normal subjects on most clinical and neuropsychological variables assessed, such as psychopathology, family history, childhood social adjustment, and overall pattern of neuropsychological impairment. Compared with the early-onset group, the group with late-onset schizophrenia had a higher percentage of patients who were ever married, a better work history, and a greater frequency of paranoid subtype.


CONCLUSIONS
These results support the diagnostic validity of schizophrenia with onset after the age of 45 years.
Jeste
D V
DV
Psychiatry Service, San Diego VA Medical Center, CA 92161, USA.
Harris
M J
MJ
Krull
A
A
Kuck
J
J
McAdams
L A
LA
Heaton
R
R
D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D004522:Educational Status; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment