Physical illnesses, developmental risk factors and psychiatric diagnoses among subjects at risk of psychosis

Abstract

Background: Subjects with psychoses have significantly increased rates of physical illnesses, but the nature of the relationship remains largely unknown.

Material and methods: The present study is part of the European Prediction of Psychosis Study (EPOS). Data were collected from 245 help-seeking individuals from six European centers (age 16-35) who met criteria for ultra-high risk of psychosis criteria. This paper seeks to investigate self-reported physical ill health and its associations with psychiatric symptoms and disorders, risk factors, and onset of psychosis during 48 months of follow-up.

Results: In multivariate analysis, lifetime panic disorder (OR=2.43, 95%CI: 1.03-5.73), known complications during pregnancy and delivery (OR=2.81, 95%CI: 1.10-7.15), female gender (OR=2.88, 95%CI: 1.16-7.17), family history of psychosis (OR=3.08, 95%CI: 1.18-8.07), and having a relationship (OR=3.44, 95%CI: 1.33-8.94) were significantly associated with self-reported physician-diagnosed illness. In the Cox proportional hazard model we found no significant differences between those who had undergone a transition to psychosis and those who had not.

Conclusions: The physical health of patients defined to be at ultra-high risk of psychosis seems to be commonly impaired and associated with female gender, marital status, complications during pregnancy and birth, lifetime panic disorder, and genetic risk of psychosis.