Minor physical anomalies in schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of minor physical anomalies (MPAs) (prenatal errors of morphogenesis) was evaluated in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder.


METHODS
A new modification of the Waldrop-scale was used to detect the presence or absence of 57 MPAs in 30 patients with schizophrenia, 30 with bipolar disorder, and in 30 matched normal controls.


RESULTS
Patients with schizophrenia compared to normal controls had significantly higher rates of three minor malformations (furrowed tongue, flat occiput, primitive shape of ears) and those of one phenogenetic variant (wide distance between toes 1 and 2), and they also had a significantly higher rate of one minor malformation (primitive shape of ears), as compared to patients with bipolar disorder. In patients with bipolar disorder, furrowed tongue was significantly more common than in controls.


CONCLUSIONS
These results support an 'early' neuro-developmental model of schizophrenia.
Trixler
M
M
Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Ret u. 2, 7623 Pécs, Hungary. trixler@neuro.pote.hu
Tényi
T
T
Csábi
G
G
Szabó
R
R
D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000453:epidemiology; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019465:Craniofacial Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D014059:Tongue / Q000002:abnormalities