title: A population-based study of atopic disorders and inflammatory markers in childhood before psychotic experiences in adolescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Schizophrenia is associated with atopy and increased inflammatory markers. We report a population-based longitudinal study of the associations between childhood atopic disorders, subsequent serum inflammatory markers, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and the risk of psychotic experiences (PEs).
  
  
  METHODS
  PEs were assessed at age 13 years (n=6785). Presence of clinician-diagnosed atopic disorders (asthma and eczema) was determined from parent-completed questionnaires at age 10 years (n=7814). Serum IL-6 and CRP were measured at age 9 years (n=5076). Logistic regression examined the association between (1) atopy and PEs, (2) inflammatory markers and PEs, and (3) mediating effects of inflammatory markers on the atopy-PEs association. Linear regression examined the association between atopy and inflammatory markers. Age, gender, social class, ethnicity and body mass index were included as potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At age 10 years, about 14% of the sample was reported to have asthma, 12% eczema, and 7% both asthma and eczema. Compared with children with no atopy, risk of PEs at age 13 years was increased for all of these groups; adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) were, respectively, 1.39 (1.10-1.77), 1.33 (1.04-1.69), and 1.44 (1.06-1.94). Atopy was associated with increased serum IL-6 and CRP; however, this did not mediate association between atopy and PEs. Inflammatory markers were not associated with later PEs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood atopic disorders increase the risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence. Follow-up of these individuals will be useful to determine the effect of atopy and inflammation on different trajectories of early-life PEs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK; Centre for Mental Health, Addiction and Suicide Research, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK. Electronic address: gmk24@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Golam M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Khandaker
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health, Addiction and Suicide Research, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK; Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, UK.
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zammit
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health, Addiction and Suicide Research, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK; University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Glyn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D018672:Community Health Planning; D018450:Disease Progression; D004485:Eczema / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: 95% confidence interval; ALSPAC; Adolescence; Asthma; Atopic disorders; Birth cohort; C-reactive protein; CI; CRP; Childhood; Cytokine; Eczema; IL-6; Immunity; Inflammatory markers; OR; PEs; Prospective study; Psychotic experiences; Psychotic symptoms; Schizophrenia; interleukin 6; odds ratio, 95%; psychotic experiences