title: Increased rate of psychosis among African-Caribbeans in Britain is not due to an excess of pregnancy and birth complications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that the increased rate of psychotic illness among African-Caribbeans living in Britain is due to an excess of pregnancy and birth complications (PBCs).
  
  
  METHODS
  We therefore compared the frequency of PBCs in a group of White psychotic patients (n = 103) and a comparable group of patients of African-Caribbean origin (n = 61); the latter consisted of 30 first-generation (born in the Caribbean) and 31 second-generation (born in Britain) individuals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  White psychotic patients were more than twice as likely to have a history of PBCs as their African-Caribbean counterparts (odds ratio = 2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88-6.47, P = 0.062). The same trend was observed among patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of schizophrenia (odds ratio = 1.65, 95% CI 0.56-4.97, P = 0.32). The rate of PBCs was similar among the first- and second-generation Caribbean psychotic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased rate of psychotic illness that has been reported among the African-Caribbean population in Britain is not due to an increased prevalence of PBCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takei
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhugra
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Fahy
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gilvarry
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mallett
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leff
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D001720:Birth Injuries / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D014900:West Indies / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data