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. 2006 May;163(5):927-9.
doi: 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.5.927.

Prenatal exposure to maternal genital and reproductive infections and adult schizophrenia

Vicki Babulas  1 , Pam Factor-Litvak, Raymond Goetz, Catherine A Schaefer, Alan S Brown
Affiliations

Prenatal exposure to maternal genital and reproductive infections and adult schizophrenia

Vicki Babulas et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2006 May.

Abstract

Objective: In this birth cohort study, the authors examined the relation between prenatal exposure to maternal genital/reproductive (G/R) infections and schizophrenia in offspring.

Method: The birth cohort consisted of 7,794 offspring of pregnancies with prospectively acquired data on maternal G/R infections from obstetric records. The authors diagnosed 71 cases of schizophrenia and other schizophrenia spectrum disorders in this cohort. The relationship between maternal G/R infections and schizophrenia risk was modeled.

Results: Exposure to G/R infections during the periconceptional period was associated with a significantly increased risk of schizophrenia and other schizophrenia spectrum disorders, with adjustment for maternal race, education, age, and mental illness.

Conclusions: Maternal G/R infection during periconception appears to increase the risk of schizophrenia in offspring.

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