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The British Journal of Psychiatry (2000) 176: 516-522
© 2000 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Obstetric complications and schizophrenia

Two case-control studies based on structured obstetric records

R. E. KENDELL, FRSE

Edinburgh University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh

K. McINNENY, BA, E. JUSZCZAK, MSc and M. BAIN, MFPHM

Information and Statistics Division, National Health Service in Scotland, Edinburgh

Correspondence: Dr R. E. Kendell, 3 West Castle Road, Edinburgh EHI0 5AT

Declaration of interest Funded by the Scottish Office Department of Health.

See pp.523-530, this issue.

Background Most previous case-control studies of obstetric complications in schizophrenia have been small scale and many have relied on retrospective information.

Aims To determine which obstetric complications are more common in probands with schizophrenia than matched controls.

Method Two hundred and ninety-six probands with an in-patient diagnosis of schizophrenia who had been born in Scotland in 1971-74, and a further 156 born in 1975-78, were closely matched with controls and the incidence of obstetric complications in the two compared using obstetric data recorded in a set format shortly after birth.

Results Not a single complication of pregnancy or delivery was significantly more common in the probands with schizophrenia than the controls in the 1971-74 birth cohort and only emergency Caesarean section and labour lasting over 12 hours were significantly more common in the schizophrenia probands in the 1975-78 cohort.

Conclusion The evidence that schizophrenia is associated with a raised incidence of obstetric complications is weaker than has recently been assumed.

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