Schizophrenia in Croatia: age of onset differences between males and females

The age of disease onset, the age at first admission and the age of first admission with a schizophrenia diagnosis were determined in a sample of 679 patients (356 males and 323 females) representing 8069 schizophrenics hospitalized in Croatia in the 1962-1971 period and followed up in an epidemiologic field study until 1991. Male and female patients were not found to differ significantly either in the average age of schizophrenia onset or age at first admission. In the majority of females the disease started at a slightly earlier age than in males, which might be due to the general biological and psychosocial differences between males and females. The age of females at first admission with a schizophrenia diagnosis was significantly higher than that of males. The differences between the schizophrenic males and females in the length of the preadmission period and diagnostic process, as well as in mortality, may contribute cumulatively to the recording of onset for female schizophrenics at a higher age in comparison to male schizophrenics.