title: Sex differences in first-episode psychosis and in people at ultra-high risk.
abstract: Sex-related differences in the clinical expression and outcome of schizophrenia have long been recognized; this study set out to evaluate whether they extend to those subjects who are at high risk of developing psychosis. In a sample enrolled in two early intervention programs in northern Italy, patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP; n=152) were compared to patients at ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR; n=106) on a series of sex-related clinical characteristics of schizophrenia. In both the FEP and the UHR samples, males outnumbered females. In FEP patients, women had been referred at an older age than men and had a shorter duration of untreated illness (DUI) and of untreated psychosis. In UHR patients no sex differences were found in age of onset or DUI. There was no diagnosis by sex interaction on symptoms severity or level of functioning at presentation. The limited number of women in both samples, and the exclusion of people who were older than 30 and of those with substance dependence may have reduced the extent of sex-related differences in this study. Sex differences of precipitating factors for psychosis might be worthy of further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Salute Mentale. Centro per l'individuazione e l'intervento precoce nelle psicosi-Programma 2000 - Via Livigno, 3, Azienda Ospedaliera, Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda, 20128 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: ANGELO.COCCHI@OspedaleNiguarda.it.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cocchi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Salute Mentale, Azienda Ospedaliera di Desio e Vimercate, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lora
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Salute Mentale. Centro per l'individuazione e l'intervento precoce nelle psicosi-Programma 2000 - Via Livigno, 3, Azienda Ospedaliera, Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda, 20128 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meneghelli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Salute Mentale, Azienda Ospedaliera di Desio e Vimercate, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: La Greca
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Salute Mentale. Centro per l'individuazione e l'intervento precoce nelle psicosi-Programma 2000 - Via Livigno, 3, Azienda Ospedaliera, Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda, 20128 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Salute Mentale. Centro per l'individuazione e l'intervento precoce nelle psicosi-Programma 2000 - Via Livigno, 3, Azienda Ospedaliera, Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda, 20128 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cascio
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Salute Mentale. Centro per l'individuazione e l'intervento precoce nelle psicosi-Programma 2000 - Via Livigno, 3, Azienda Ospedaliera, Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda, 20128 Milan, Italy; Centro Medico Genneruxi, via Costantinopoli 42, 09129 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Preti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012306:Risk; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Early intervention in psychosis; Obstetric complications; Risk factors; Schizophrenia; Sex differences