CLINICAL AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH LATE-ONSET SCHIZOPHRENIA

Objective: The goal was to compare clinical and neuropsychological cha racteristics of patients with late-onset schizophrenia, a poorly studi ed and controversial entity, with those of patients with early-onset s chizophrenia and normal subjects. Method: The authors evaluated 25 pat ients who met DSM-III-R criteria as well as their own research criteri a for late-onset schizophrenia (i.e., schizophrenia with onset after a ge 45) and compared them with 39 patients with early-onset schizophren ia and 35 normal subjects in this nonepidemiologic study. Results: Pat ients with late-onset schizophrenia were similar to patients with earl y-onset schizophrenia and different from normal subjects on most clini cal and neuropsychological variables assessed, such as psychopathology , family history, childhood social adjustment, and overall pattern of neuropsychological impairment. Compared with the early-onset group, th e group with fate-onset schizophrenia had a higher percentage of patie nts who were ever married, a better work history, and a greater freque ncy of paranoid subtype. Conclusions: These results support the diagno stic validity of schizophrenia with onset after the age of 45 years.