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Seasonality, Birth Complications and Schizophrenia in a High Risk Sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

R. A. Machón*
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
S. A. Mednick
Affiliation:
Psykologisk Institut, Kommunehospitalet, 1399, Copenhagen; Professor, Dept of Psychology and Social Science Research Institute, University of Southern California
F. Schulsinger
Affiliation:
Dept of Psychiatry, Kommunehospitalet, Copenhagen
*
Loyola Marymount University, Department of Psychology, Loyota Boulevard at W.80th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA

Extract

It has been suggested that viral infections, more prevalent in the winter months, might increase pregnancy and birth complications, which might in turn be responsible for the excess of winter-born patients with schizophrenia. In this study it was found that the rate of schizophrenia among high risk winter-urban births who had suffered a perinatal complication was significantly greater than that for those who had not thus supporting the hypothesis.

Type
Brief Reports
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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