Schizophrenia and flu in pregnancy
Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 7:30 am
From BBC On Line
If this is true it gives us perhaps a link to treatment that we have not
used before. Jean
Foetal flu link to schizophrenia
Babies may be born with an increased risk
Exposure to flu during pregnancy may increase risk of developing
schizophrenia later in life, research suggests.
The study found a dose of flu in the first half of pregnancy was linked to a
three-fold increase in the risk of schizophrenia.
However, illness in the second half of pregnancy seemed to have no effect.
The research, led by New York's Columbia University, is published in
Archives of General Psychiatry.
These findings represent the strongest evidence thus far that prenatal
exposure to influenza plays a role in schizophrenia.
Dr Ezra Susser
The researchers estimate that 14% of schizophrenia cases may be linked to
exposure to the flu virus in the womb.
Their findings are based on an analysis of stored maternal blood samples
from 64 patients with schizophrenia and 125 subjects without the disease.
The samples were tested for antibodies to determine if flu exposure had
occurred during pregnancy.
The children who seemed to be most at risk were those whose mothers
contracted flu in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. For this group the risk
increased seven-fold.
Several previous studies suggested a relationship between flu during
pregnancy and schizophrenia - but they relied on epidemics in populations,
rather than a diagnosis of influenza in individual pregnant mothers.
Researcher Dr Ezra Susser said: "These findings represent the strongest
evidence thus far that prenatal exposure to influenza plays a role in
schizophrenia.
"The findings will need to be duplicated in other groups of people before we
can draw firm conclusions from these results.
"At this time, we advise against using these results for any public health
policy or individual preventive actions.
"However, if the results are confirmed in further studies, and the pathways
are better understood, they could have very important implications for
prevention."
Exactly why exposure to the flu virus in the womb should increase the risk
of schizophrenia is unknown.
However, the researchers believe it could be a direct effect from the virus,
or an indirect effect involving chemicals that are released in response to
the virus.
Paul Corry, of the mental health charity Rethink, welcomed the research, and
said it was vital that more work was done into trying to understand the
causes of the condition.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
If this is true it gives us perhaps a link to treatment that we have not
used before. Jean
Foetal flu link to schizophrenia
Babies may be born with an increased risk
Exposure to flu during pregnancy may increase risk of developing
schizophrenia later in life, research suggests.
The study found a dose of flu in the first half of pregnancy was linked to a
three-fold increase in the risk of schizophrenia.
However, illness in the second half of pregnancy seemed to have no effect.
The research, led by New York's Columbia University, is published in
Archives of General Psychiatry.
These findings represent the strongest evidence thus far that prenatal
exposure to influenza plays a role in schizophrenia.
Dr Ezra Susser
The researchers estimate that 14% of schizophrenia cases may be linked to
exposure to the flu virus in the womb.
Their findings are based on an analysis of stored maternal blood samples
from 64 patients with schizophrenia and 125 subjects without the disease.
The samples were tested for antibodies to determine if flu exposure had
occurred during pregnancy.
The children who seemed to be most at risk were those whose mothers
contracted flu in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. For this group the risk
increased seven-fold.
Several previous studies suggested a relationship between flu during
pregnancy and schizophrenia - but they relied on epidemics in populations,
rather than a diagnosis of influenza in individual pregnant mothers.
Researcher Dr Ezra Susser said: "These findings represent the strongest
evidence thus far that prenatal exposure to influenza plays a role in
schizophrenia.
"The findings will need to be duplicated in other groups of people before we
can draw firm conclusions from these results.
"At this time, we advise against using these results for any public health
policy or individual preventive actions.
"However, if the results are confirmed in further studies, and the pathways
are better understood, they could have very important implications for
prevention."
Exactly why exposure to the flu virus in the womb should increase the risk
of schizophrenia is unknown.
However, the researchers believe it could be a direct effect from the virus,
or an indirect effect involving chemicals that are released in response to
the virus.
Paul Corry, of the mental health charity Rethink, welcomed the research, and
said it was vital that more work was done into trying to understand the
causes of the condition.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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