Association of measures of fetal and childhood growth with non-clinical psychotic symptoms in 12-year-olds: the ALSPAC cohort.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have suggested that impaired fetal and childhood growth are associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, but the association of pre-adult growth with non-clinical psychotic symptoms (psychosis-like symptoms) in children is not known.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the associations of body size at birth and age 7.5 years with childhood psychosis-like symptoms.


METHODS
Prospective cohort of children followed up from birth to age 12: the ALSPAC cohort.


RESULTS
Data on 6000 singleton infants born after 37 weeks of gestation. A one standard deviation increase in birth weight was associated with an 18% reduction in the risk of definite psychosis-like symptoms after adjusting for age and gestation (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.73-0.92, P = 0.001). This association was partly confounded by maternal anthropometry, smoking during pregnancy, socioeconomic status and IQ. A similar association was seen for birth length and psychosis-like symptoms, which disappeared after controlling for birth weight. There was little evidence for an association of 7-year height or adiposity with psychosis-like symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Measures of impaired fetal, but not childhood, growth are associated with an increased risk of psychosis-like symptoms in 12-year-olds.
Thomas
K
K
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK.
Harrison
G
G
Zammit
S
S
Lewis
G
G
Horwood
J
J
Heron
J
J
Hollis
C
C
Wolke
D
D
Thompson
A
A
Gunnell
D
D
D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors