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Schizophrenia with onset after age 50 years

I: Phenomenology and risk factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Henry Brodaty ,
Perminder Sachdev ,
Noelene Rose ,
Kylie Rylands  and
Leanne Prenter
Henry Brodaty*
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney and Academic Department for Old Age Psychiatry. The Prince of Wales Hospital
Perminder Sachdev
Affiliation:
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney and Neuropsychiatric Institute, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney
Noelene Rose
Affiliation:
Formerly Schod of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney and The Prince Henry Hosprtal, Sydney
Kylie Rylands
Affiliation:
Formerly School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Leanne Prenter
Affiliation:
formerly Academic Department of Psychogeriatrics, The Prince Henry Hospital, Sydney
*
Professor H. Brodaty, Academic Department of Psychogeriatrics, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick NSW 2031. Australia. Tel: +61-2-93823759; fax: +61-2-93823762; e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

Schizophrenia occurring for the first time in late life may be a distinct entity or part of a continuum.

Aims

Can late-onset schizophrenia (LOS) and early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) be differentiated by their phenomenology and risk factors to their development?

Method

Convenience samples of 27 DSM–III–R defined LOS subjects, 30 EOS subjects and 34 control subjects were systematically assessed.

Results

Premorbidly, both groups of subjects with schizophrenia had personality traits that were different from controls but not from each other. The EOS subjects had more family members with a history of psychiatric illness or schizophrenia and less hearing impairment than the other two groups, which did not differ from each other. Clinically, LOS and EOS subjects were similar, except that EOS subjects had more negative symptom scores, tended to have more delusions of guilt/sin and of being controlled and more formal thought disorder, and had significantly poorer instrumental activities of daily living.

Conclusions

Phenomenology and risk factors do not distinguish discrete LOS.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 175 , Issue 5 , November 1999 , pp. 410 - 415
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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Footnotes

†

See Part II, pp. 416–421, this issue.

References are given at the end of Paper 2

Declaration of interest

The study was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Rebecca Cooper Foundation.

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