Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151:117-119
Copyright © 1994 by American Psychiatric Association
Prenatal exposure to influenza and the development of schizophrenia: is the effect confined to females?
N Takei, P Sham, E O'Callaghan, GK Murray, G Glover and RM Murray
Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
The question of whether prenatal exposure to influenza epidemics is
associated with an increased risk of later schizophrenia remains
controversial. The authors examined this relationship, using data on the
dates of birth and gender of 3,827 schizophrenic patients born in England
and Wales between 1938 and 1965 and first admitted to hospitals in the
1980s, the numbers of live births between 1938 and 1965, and the numbers of
deaths attributed to influenza between 1937 and 1965. The analysis showed
that females, but not males, exposed to influenza epidemics 5 months before
birth had a significantly greater rate of adult schizophrenia.
