Body mass index (BMI) of drug-naïve psychotic adolescents based on a population of adolescent psychiatric inpatients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the connection between overweight and first-episode schizophrenia spectrum as well as non-schizophrenia spectrum psychiatric disorders in adolescent male and female drug-naïve psychiatric inpatients, whose illness was early onset.


METHODS
Three hundred twenty-three adolescents with no past or present psychiatric medication, 12-17 years of age, admitted to the psychiatric inpatient care (Oulu University Hospital, Northern Finland) between April 2001 and March 2006. DSM-IV diagnoses were based on the "Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime" (K-SADS-PL). An adolescent was defined as overweight if his or her BMI was greater than or equal to the 85th percentile.


RESULTS
Overweight values were highest in drug-naïve adolescent boys with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum (RR: 2.5, 95%CI: 1.08-4.29) and non-schizophrenia spectrum (RR: 2.80, 95%CI: 2.20-3.45) disorders. The RR in girls with non-schizophrenia spectrum disorders was 1.73 (95%CI: 1.31-2.23), but in those with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders RR did not differ from general population.


CONCLUSIONS
In our study sample of first-episode schizophrenia spectrum drug-naïve adolescents, overweight was shown to be prevalent in all diagnostic groups other than first-episode schizophrenia spectrum psychotic girls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in which overweight was analyzed and verified among drug-naïve adolescent boys, suffering from first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder. To what extent our results are applicable to other regions and study groups, remains to be seen.
Juutinen
Jaana
J
Department of Public Health Science and General Practice, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FIN 90014, Oulu, Finland. jaana.juutinen@oulu.fi
Hakko
Helinä
H
Meyer-Rochow
V Benno
VB
Räsänen
Pirkko
P
Timonen
Markku
M
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation