title: Age of onset in familial and sporadic schizophrenia.
abstract: We have studied the gender and family history differences with regard to age of onset of schizophrenia. These differences have often been viewed as an important clue to the aetiology of the illness. Patients from three centres in Europe and Canada were included in the study. A sample of 1089 subjects was categorized according to the subject's sex, family history of schizophrenia, and the centre. The principal statistical method was analysis of variance. Patients with no family history of schizophrenia had a consistently higher average age of onset. This effect was seen in both male and female subjects across all three groups. These results support the relationship between familial risk and early onset, but no interaction of gender and family history was found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alda
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahrens
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lit
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dvorakova
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Labelle
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zvolsky
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology