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The potential role of high or low birthweight as risk factor for adult schizophrenia

  • Giuseppe Bersani , Giorgiana Manuali , Luisa Ramieri , Ines Taddei , Iliana Bersani , Filippo Conforti , Maria Sofia Cattaruzza , John Osborn and Paolo Pancheri
Published/Copyright: March 7, 2007
Journal of Perinatal Medicine
From the journal Volume 35 Issue 2

Abstract

Objective: Obstetric complications may be an important factor in the development of schizophrenia. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of these complications in the development of schizophrenia in adult life, with particular attention to the potential role of birth weight.

Method: We carried out a case-control study, comprising schizophrenics and patients with diseases of the schizophrenia spectrum as cases, and their healthy male brothers as controls. Obstetric complications were assessed using the “Midwife Protocol” of Parnas et al.

Results: The main result was that birth weight may be a risk factor for schizophrenia, as indicated by odds ratio analysis. The confidence intervals are very wide and, without compromising the clinical significance of the results, they give a limited indication of the real entity of the risk.

Conclusions: The results contribute to understanding of the role played by a single complications.

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Corresponding author: Prof. Giuseppe Bersani III Psychiatric Clinic, Department of Psychiatric Sciences and Psychological Medicine Special Service of Psychopharmacology and Psychosomatic Medicine University of Rome “La Sapienza” Viale dell'Università 30, 00185 Rome, Italy Tel.: +39-0649914591 Fax: +39-064454765

References

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Published Online: 2007-03-07
Published in Print: 2007-04-01

©2007 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York

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