title: Long-term outcome of late-onset schizophrenia: 5-year follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is controversy about whether late-onset schizophrenia is a precursor of cognitive decline.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the long-term outcome of a group of patients with late-onset schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with onset of DSM-III-R schizophrenia at age 50 years or over, but without dementia, and a healthy control group were assessed at baseline (n=27 and n=34, respectively), after 1 year and after 5 years (n=19 and n=24, respectively) on measures of psychopathology, cognition and general functioning, and compared on rates of decline and incidence of dementia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine patients with late-onset schizophrenia and none of the control group were found to have dementia (5 Alzheimer type, 1 vascular, 3 dementia of unknown type) at 5-year follow-up. There appeared to be a subgroup of late-onset schizophrenia patients without signs of dementia at baseline or at 1 year follow-up who subsequently declined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Late-onset schizophrenia may be a prodrome of Alzheimer-type dementia. More longitudinal studies are required to determine its nosological status.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. hbrodaty@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brodaty
authors.forename: Perminder
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koschera
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monk
authors.forename: Breda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cullen
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013997:Time Factors