Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2008
To investigate the connection between overweight and first-episode schizophrenia spectrum as well as non-schizophrenia spectrum psychiatric disorders in adolescent male and female drug-naïve psychiatric inpatients, whose illness was early onset.
Three hundred twenty-three adolescents with no past or present psychiatric medication, 12–17 years of age, admitted to the psychiatric inpatient care (Oulu University Hospital, Northern Finland) between April 2001 and March 2006. DSM-IV diagnoses were based on the “Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime” (K-SADS-PL). An adolescent was defined as overweight if his or her BMI was greater than or equal to the 85th percentile.
Overweight values were highest in drug-naïve adolescent boys with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum (RR: 2.5, 95%CI: 1.08–4.29) and non-schizophrenia spectrum (RR: 2.80, 95%CI: 2.20–3.45) disorders. The RR in girls with non-schizophrenia spectrum disorders was 1.73 (95%CI: 1.31–2.23), but in those with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders RR did not differ from general population.
In our study sample of first-episode schizophrenia spectrum drug-naïve adolescents, overweight was shown to be prevalent in all diagnostic groups other than first-episode schizophrenia spectrum psychotic girls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in which overweight was analyzed and verified among drug-naïve adolescent boys, suffering from first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder. To what extent our results are applicable to other regions and study groups, remains to be seen.
The STUDY-70 research group: Medical supervisors: Professor Pirkko Räsänen, University of Oulu, Department of Psychiatry; Professor Jaakko Lappalainen, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; Professor Mauri Marttunen, Helsinki Central University Hospital, Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, Peijas; Administrative supervisors: Kaisa Riala, MD, PhD, Taru Ollinen, MD, PhD, and Kristian Läksy, MD, PhD, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry; Statistical consultants: Helinä Hakko, PhD, and Kaisa Karvonen, B.Sc, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry; Senior researchers: Professor Markku Timonen, University of Oulu, Department of Public Health Sciences and General Practice; Researchers: Essi Ilomäki, MD, Risto Ilomäki, MD, Vesa Tikkanen, medical student, University of Oulu, Department of Psychiatry; Matti Laukkanen, M.Sc, Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry.
Comments
No Comments have been published for this article.