Schizophrenia and the influenza epidemics of 1954, 1957 and 1959: a southern hemisphere study

Abstract

The dates of birth of patients who were admitted with schizophrenia to public hospitals in Queensland between the years 1972 and 1988 were examined for associations between risk of schizophrenia and influenza epidemics. The hypothesis that infants born between four and six months after an influenza epidemic onset have increased risk of schizophrenia was examined for the 1954, 1957 and 1959 epidemics. After the 1954 epidemic there was a significant excess of male schizophrenia births four months after the onset of the epidemic. In 1957, there was a significant excess of female schizophrenia births in the fifth month after the onset of the epidemic. The 1959 epidemic was not associated with any significant excess.