title: The relationship of schizophrenic births to 16 infectious diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, several investigators have reported an association between influenza epidemics and increased birth rates of 'preschizophrenic' individuals some four to six months later. Here we examine whether maternal exposure to other infectious diseases can also predispose the foetus to later schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two independent sets of dates of birth of first admission schizophrenic patients, born between 1938 and 1965 in England and Wales, were obtained from the Mental Health Enquiry in England and Wales. Data on the number of deaths per month from 16 infectious diseases between 1937 and 1965 in England and Wales were also collected. We used a Poisson regression model to examine the relationship between deaths from infectious diseases and schizophrenic births.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the two separate data sets, increased national deaths from bronchopneumonia preceded, by three and five months respectively, increased numbers of schizophrenic births. We did not find any other significant associations between schizophrenic births and any of the other 15 infectious diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between deaths from bronchopneumonia and increased schizophrenic births some months later may be a reflection of the fact that bronchopneumonia deaths increase markedly during influenza epidemics.
authors.affiliation: Cluain Mhuire Family Centre, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Sham
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takei
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Hare
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001996:Bronchopneumonia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015984:Causality; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology