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. 2007 Dec:191:512-20.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.034694.

Growth trajectory during early life and risk of adult schizophrenia

Megan A Perrin  1 , Henian Chen, David E Sandberg, Dolores Malaspina, Alan S Brown
Affiliations

Growth trajectory during early life and risk of adult schizophrenia

Megan A Perrin et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Growth abnormalities have been suggested as a precursor to schizophrenia, but previous studies have not assessed growth patterns using repeated measures.

Aims: To assess the association between early life/later childhood growth patterns and risk of schizophrenia.

Methods: Using prospectively collected data from a birth cohort (born 1959-1967), measurements of height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were analysed to compare growth patterns during early life and later childhood between 70 individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD) and 7710 without.

Results: For women, growth in the SSD group was approximately 1 cm/year slower during early life (P < 0.01); no association was observed for men. Later childhood growth was not associated with SSD. Weight patterns were not associated with SSD, whereas slower change in BMI was observed among the SSD group during later childhood.

Conclusions: The association between slower growth in early life and schizophrenia in women suggests that factors responsible for regulating growth might be important in the pathogenesis of the disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study profile (PDS, Prenatal Determinants of Schizophrenia).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Early-life growth trajectory and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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