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Early diagnosis of schizophrenia--the first step towards secondary prevention
1Sackler School of Medicine, TAU, Israel.
Objective:
To review current knowledge of risk factors associated with schizophrenia and the development of diagnostic markers aimed at the delay or attenuation of the first psychotic episode.
Method:
Studies relating to the development of disease and the risk factors that could inform predictive markers are reviewed, including high-risk studies, birth-cohort studies, and retrospective and follow-back studies.
Results:
Future schizophrenic patients present with delayed developmental milestones, speech and behavioural difficulties, and lower IQ scores than non-cases.
Conclusion:
Results are consistent with the notion that schizophrenia is a developmental disease and that such antecedents are present; further research is required to improve the specificity of diagnostic markers and predictive power before these can be used to prevent or delay psychotic episodes of schizophrenia.
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