Minor physical anomalies in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE

The study was conducted to evaluate the spread of the minor physical anomalies (MPAs) in patients with schizophrenia and normal subjects, and the relevance of MPAs to sex, age of onset of the disease, birth order, and season of birth.

METHODS

Forty two inpatients satisfying the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and 36 normal controls were evaluated for MPAs using the Waldrop scale. Subjects with schizophreniform, schizoaffective and schizotypal personality disorders were excluded from the sample to prevent these from possible confounding of the results.

RESULTS

The schizophrenic patients showed significantly more anomalies than the controls. In both male and female patients, there was a higher incidence of anomalies in the region of the head. Significantly higher scores for minor physical anomalies were associated with later position in the birth order. Gender differences were without statistical significance. No relationship was found between minor physical anomalies and age of onset of the disease and birth season.

CONCLUSION

The results are consistent with the theory of disturbed craniofacial development in at least one subpopulation of schizophrenic patients and indicate the origins of the disturbance in the early embryonal period. The higher incidence of anomalies in the region of head reflects the complex processes in the morphogenesis of mouth, ears and eyes.