title: Outcome in males with first-episode schizophrenia: 7-year follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The early course of schizophrenia is highly variable. We assessed outcomes of patients with first-episode schizophrenia at 7-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutively hospitalized male patients were included if they were experiencing their first admission for first-episode schizophrenia and were reassessed at 1-, 4- and 7-year follow-ups. The psychopathology was evaluated using the PANSS, relative decrease of PANSS and remission status based on severity of core symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four of 76 patients were reassessed three times. At the end of index hospitalization 73% of patients achieved remission; however, after 1, 4 and 7 years, the percentage had dropped to 50, 50 and 52%, respectively. When compared post-hoc there was no significant difference in PANSS and response to treatment between remitters and non-remitters during the index hospitalization; however, a significant difference in psychopathology emerged first after 1, 4 and 7 years. All patients who had not achieve remission after 1 year also failed to achieve remission after 4 and 7 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Response to treatment during the first psychotic break-through may not be a decisive indicator for the outlook of the disease. Our data suggest that when deterioration occurs, it does so early after the first episode.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Masaryk University and Faculty Hospital Brno, Brno-Bohunice, Czech Republic. eceska@med.muni.cz
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ceskova
authors.forename: Radovan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prikryl
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasparek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents