[Obstetric complications and early-onset schizophrenia: a case-control study].
OBJECTIVE
Research has suggested an association between obstetric complications and schizophrenia.


METHODS
In this study data based on the obstetric birth case-notes of adolescent patients with diagnosed schizophrenia were compared to those of normal "healthy" same-aged control subjects.


RESULTS
Complications involving a clear damaging potential (Level > 4 in the McNeil-Sjöström Scale) were seen significantly more often among cases than control subjects: 7% vs 2%, Fisher's exact test p < 0.04, odds ratio 4, 95%, CI: 1.048-15.26.


CONCLUSIONS
Brain-damaging due to obstetric complications would seem to be a possible antecedent to a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Moreover, results support the evidence that obstetric adversity exerts an independent influence on the age at first presentation with schizophrenia. This finding suggests the existence of a causal relationship between obstetric adversity and age at onset of schizophrenia even if the small samples size limits the power of this study.
Ardizzone
Ignazio
I
II divisione, Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche, Psichiatriche e Riabilitative dell'Età Evolutiva, Sapienza Università di Roma. ignazio.ardizzone@fastwebnet.it
Marconi
Arianna
A
Nardecchia
Francesca
F
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*