Labour and delivery complications and schizophrenia - Case-control study using contemporaneous labour ward records

Background Controversy continues regarding an association between obstetric complications and risk of schizophrenia in early adult life. Aims To compare the rate of labour and labour and delivery complications among persons who developed schizophrenia with controls; to establish whether any complication is associated with later schizophrenia. Method We located the labour ward records of 431 individuals with schizophrenia and of same-gender controls from the same hospital birth series. Mothers were matched by age, socio-economic group and parity. Individual complications were evaluated blindly using two obstetric complication scales. Results Overall, the rate of labour and delivery complications for those who developed schizophrenia did not differ from that of controls. Males who had presented to psychiatric services before the age of 30 had a greater frequency of and more severe labour/delivery complications than their matched controls. Conclusions Other than among young-onset males we found no increase in labour and delivery complications among cases. Declaration of interest This study was funded by the Health Research Board of Ireland and the Stanley Foundation.