REPRODUCTIVE RATES IN FAMILIES OF SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS IN A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Data about the fertility of 142 schizophrenic patients and their ances tors are reported and compared with healthy people in a case-control s tudy. The biological fitness of the patients is 76% of controls in ind ividuals with at least one child, and 48% of controls in all patients, with clear low fertility rates in patients, especially in men. When l ooking at the previous generations, the existence of a significant inc rease in fertility in the relatives of schizophrenics was reinforced i n the maternal lineage. These results confirm the previous findings ab out the decreasing fertility in schizophrenic patients and may be of i nterest in understanding the maintenance of the illness despite its ge netic background.