Exposure to sunlight, vitamin D and schizophrenia.
The hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy or early infancy may contribute to the aetiology of schizophrenia was tested by examining the relationship between population exposure to sunlight, which promotes the synthesis of vitamin D in the summer months, and the monthly rate of schizophrenic births in two large data sets--22,000 schizophrenic patients born in England or Wales between 1921 and 1960, and 8000 born in Scotland between 1932 and 1960. No convincing relationship could be found in either cohort.
Kendell
R E
RE
Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, 3 West Castle Road, EH10 5AT, Edinburgh, UK.
Adams
W
W
D001723:Birth Rate; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012621:Seasons; D013472:Sunlight; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications*; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology