Is an Early Age at Illness Onset in Schizophrenia Associated With Increased Genetic Susceptibility?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Is an Early Age at Illness Onset in Schizophrenia Associated With Increased Genetic Susceptibility?

AU - Hilker, Rikke

AU - Helenius, Dorte

AU - Fagerlund, Birgitte

AU - Skytthe, Axel

AU - Christensen, Kaare

AU - Werge, Thomas M.

AU - Nordentoft, Merete

AU - Glenthøj, Birte

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Background Early age at illness onset has been viewed as an important liability marker for schizophrenia, which may be associated with an increased genetic vulnerability. A twin approach can be valuable, because it allows for the investigation of specific illness markers in individuals with a shared genetic background. Methods We linked nationwide registers to identify a cohort of twin pairs born in Denmark from 1951 to 2000 (N = 31,524 pairs), where one or both twins had a diagnosis in the schizophrenia spectrum. We defined two groups consisting of; N = 788 twin pairs (affected with schizophrenia spectrum) and a subsample of N = 448 (affected with schizophrenia). Survival analysis was applied to investigate the effect of age at illness onset. Findings We found that early age at illness onset compared to later onset in the first diagnosed twin can be considered a major risk factor for developing schizophrenia in the second twin. Additionally, we found that the stronger genetic component in MZ twins compared to DZ twins is manifested in the proximity of assigned diagnosis within pairs. Discussion Early onset schizophrenia could be linked to a more severe genetic predisposition, indicating that age might be perceived as a clinical marker for genetic vulnerability for the illness.

AB - Background Early age at illness onset has been viewed as an important liability marker for schizophrenia, which may be associated with an increased genetic vulnerability. A twin approach can be valuable, because it allows for the investigation of specific illness markers in individuals with a shared genetic background. Methods We linked nationwide registers to identify a cohort of twin pairs born in Denmark from 1951 to 2000 (N = 31,524 pairs), where one or both twins had a diagnosis in the schizophrenia spectrum. We defined two groups consisting of; N = 788 twin pairs (affected with schizophrenia spectrum) and a subsample of N = 448 (affected with schizophrenia). Survival analysis was applied to investigate the effect of age at illness onset. Findings We found that early age at illness onset compared to later onset in the first diagnosed twin can be considered a major risk factor for developing schizophrenia in the second twin. Additionally, we found that the stronger genetic component in MZ twins compared to DZ twins is manifested in the proximity of assigned diagnosis within pairs. Discussion Early onset schizophrenia could be linked to a more severe genetic predisposition, indicating that age might be perceived as a clinical marker for genetic vulnerability for the illness.

KW - Age at onset

KW - Nationwide register-based data

KW - Schizophrenia

KW - Twin study

U2 - 10.1016/j.ebiom.2017.04.002

DO - 10.1016/j.ebiom.2017.04.002

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28427946

AN - SCOPUS:85017558896

SN - 2352-3964

VL - 18

SP - 320

EP - 326

JO - EBioMedicine

JF - EBioMedicine

ER -