Evaluation of familial influences on the course and severity of schizophrenia among US and Indian cases.
BACKGROUND
Prior studies suggest familial (possibly genetic) influences on the course of schizophrenia.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare familial influences on the course and severity of schizophrenia in two independent samples.


METHODS
Thirteen selected measures were compared among affected sibling pairs (ASPs) from Pittsburgh, USA and New Delhi, India (48 US pairs, 53 Indian pairs). For each ASP proband, an unrelated patient was selected randomly from a suitable pool of cases ascertained in the same study (Sibpair proband-comparison case or S-C pairs). Correlations between these pairs were compared.


RESULTS
The correlations varied by item and by site. Significant correlations for longitudinal course and pattern of severity were noted among the ASPs from USA, but did not remain significant following corrections for multiple comparisons. Comparisons between the correlations for ASPs and the S-C pairs, used to estimate familial effects, yielded trends for the ASP correlations to be numerically larger than the S-C correlations in both samples. Separate cross-site comparisons revealed several significant differences with regard to several demographic and clinical variables. The possible impact of the cross-site variations on the observed ASP correlations is discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
Though familial factors did not appear to have a significant impact on course/severity using this novel design, the suggestive trends need to be examined in larger samples.
Deshpande
Smita N
SN
Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Bhatia
Triptish
T
Wood
Joel
J
Brar
Jaspreet S
JS
Thelma
B K
BK
Ganguli
Rohan
R
Day
Richard
R
Gottesman
Irving I
II
Nimgaonkar
Vishwajit L
VL
D000328:Adult; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D018450:Disease Progression; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D035781:Siblings / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment