6533b7dcfe1ef96bd12721a2
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The impact of gender and age at onset on the familial aggregation of schizophrenia.
Joachim HallmayerJürgen MingesDirk LichtermannWolfgang MaierR. Heunsubject
ProbandAdultMalecongenital hereditary and neonatal diseases and abnormalitiesmedicine.medical_specialtyPsychosisComorbidityPersonality DisordersSex Factorsmental disordersmedicineHumansPharmacology (medical)Spectrum disorderFamilyRisk factorFirst-degree relativesPsychiatryBiological PsychiatryAgedPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesMood DisordersAge FactorsFamily aggregationGeneral MedicineMiddle Agedmedicine.diseaseSchizotypal personality disorderPsychiatry and Mental healthSchizophreniaSchizophreniaFemalePsychologydescription
Some recent family studies have shown that the familial risk for schizophrenia is higher in female than in male schizophrenics. It is debated whether the risks for the other disorders, such as schizotypal personality disorder or affective disorders in families of schizophrenics are similarly influenced by the proband's gender. Also, the reason for the effect of proband's gender on the recurrence risk for schizophrenia has not been clarified. This family study (159 probands, 589 first degree relatives) confirms that schizophrenia, but also schizophrenia spectrum disorders were more frequent in families of female compared with male schizophrenics. Neither age at onset in probands nor the interaction between gender and age at onset in probands had a relevant impact on the risk figures in relatives. Affective disorders occurred in families independently of the probands' gender. Aetiological heterogeneity or ascertainment bias may account for the modifying effect of proband's gender in schizophrenia.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-04-01 | European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience |