OBSTETRIC COMPLICATIONS AND SCHIZOPHRENIA - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY BASED ON STANDARDIZED OBSTETRIC RECORDS

Background. There have been many reports of a higher incidence of 'obs tetric complications' in the histories of schizophrenics than of contr ols, but because of the methodological shortcomings of most of these c omparisons the relationship remains controversial. Method. Comprehensi ve records covering all psychiatric hospital admissions and all hospit al deliveries in Scotland since 1971 made it possible to identify the obstetric records of people born in 1971-74 who were subsequently admi tted to hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and then to compar e their standardised obstetric records with those of closely matched c ontrols. Results. One hundred and fifteen schizophrenic/control pairs were compared. The former showed a highly significant (P < 0.001) exce ss of complications of both pregnancy and delivery. In particular, the re was a significant excess of pre-eclampsia (10 v. 2) and of infants detained in hospital for neonatal care (18 v. 6). Conclusion. The rais ed incidence of obstetric complications often reported in people with schizophrenia is genuine and probably contributes to the aetiology of the condition.