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Prematurity and low birth weight as risk factors for the development of affective disorder, especially depression and
Jens Knud Larsen1, Birgitte B Bendsen2, Leslie Foldager3
11Psychiatric Centre Gentofte, University of Copenhagen, Niels Andersensvej 65, DK-2900 Hellerup, Denmark.
Insights
Prematurity and low birth weight are significant risk factors for developing affective disorders, particularly depression, and schizophrenia later in life. This study highlights these early life conditions as crucial predictors of mental health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Perinatal Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Investigating the association between adverse birth conditions and mental health disorders.
- Examining prematurity and low birth weight as potential risk factors for affective disorder and schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if low birth weight, prematurity, or low birth weight adjusted for gestational age increase the risk of developing affective disorder, specifically depression, and schizophrenia.
- To analyze the relationship between birth weight and the risk of developing these psychiatric conditions.
Main Methods:
- Population-based case-control study using Danish registers (Medical Birth Register, Psychiatric Central Register).
- Inclusion of individuals born between 1974-1990 diagnosed with affective disorder (ICD-10 F3), schizophrenia (ICD-10 F2), or both before August 2003.
- Conditional logistic regression analysis to assess the association between low birth weight and the risk of developing affective disorder and/or schizophrenia.
Main Results:
- Low birth weight showed a significantly elevated risk for schizophrenia alone and for the combined diagnosis of affective disorder and schizophrenia.
- Premature birth was significantly associated with an elevated risk for both affective disorder and schizophrenia, even after adjusting for low birth weight.
- The association between low birth weight and affective disorder alone was non-significantly elevated but remained significant when adjusting for prematurity.
Conclusions:
- Prematurity and low birth weight are confirmed as risk factors for the subsequent development of affective disorder (especially depression) and schizophrenia.
- Early life factors like prematurity and low birth weight have a lasting impact on mental health, increasing the risk for serious psychiatric conditions.
- These findings underscore the importance of monitoring and supporting individuals born prematurely or with low birth weight for early detection and intervention of mental health issues.
Unlabelled:
Larsen JK, Bendsen BB, Foldager L, Munk-Jørgensen P. Prematurity and low birth weight as risk factors for the development of affective disorder, especially depression and schizophrenia: a register study.
Background:
The present study examined whether low birth weight, prematurity or low birth weight adjusted for gestational age are risk factors for the subsequent development of affective disorder, especially depression.
Methods:
A population-based case-control design was applied to the Danish Medical Birth Register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Register to identify all individuals born between 1 January 1974 and 31 December 1990 and diagnosed prior to 29 August 2003 with affective disorder alone (ICD-10 F3; 4297 females, 1861 males), schizophrenia alone (ICD-10 F2; 1364 females, 2292 males) or both disorders (ICD-10 F3 + F2; 450 females, 405 males). The association between low birth weight and the risk of developing affective disorder and/or schizophrenia was analysed by conditional logistic regression analysis.
Results:
Low birth weight was found to be associated with a significantly elevated risk of developing schizophrenia alone (p = 0.021) and both affective disorder and schizophrenia (p = 0.024), and a non-significantly elevated risk of developing affective disorder alone (p = 0.063). The effect remained significant in the affective disorder and schizophrenia groups (p = 0.039) when correcting for gestational age (premature birth), but was lost in the group with both disorders. Premature birth per se was found to be associated with a significantly elevated risk of developing both affective disorder and schizophrenia (p = 0.00018), an effect that remained significant after adjustment for low birth weight.
Conclusion:
Prematurity and low birth weight were found to be risk factors for subsequent development of affective disorder (especially depression) and schizophrenia.
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