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A family study of early-onset bipolar I disorder
C P Somanath1, S Jain, Y C Janardhan Reddy
1Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and NeuroSciences, Bangalore 560 029, India.
Background:
Relatives of early-onset bipolar probands have greater risk for affective disorders than those of adult-onset bipolar probands.
Methods:
Relatives of 50 adolescent bipolar I probands and 36 adult-onset bipolar probands (onset > or = 25 years) were assessed using the Family Interview for Genetic Studies (FIGS) by a qualified psychiatrist blind to the proband status. Morbid risk was calculated using Weinberg's method of age correction.
Results:
Relatives of early-onset probands had significantly greater risk for affective disorders compared to the relatives of adult-onset bipolar probands.
Conclusions:
Early-onset bipolar disorder is more familial than the adult bipolar disorder.
Implications:
Subdivision of bipolar disorder according to age-at-onset may identify homogeneous subtypes useful for genetic studies.
Limitations:
Patients were recruited from a major psychiatric hospital. The family history method was used to collect information about relatives.