PMID- 23312878 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20140131 LR - 20130618 IS - 1532-8384 (Electronic) IS - 0010-440X (Linking) VI - 54 IP - 5 DP - 2013 Jul TI - Prevalence and score of minor physical anomalies in patients with schizophrenia and their first degree relatives: a Tunisian study. PG - 575-80 LID - S0010-440X(12)00256-8 [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.11.007 [doi] AB - Minor physical anomalies (MPAs) have been consistently reported to be more frequent in schizophrenia subjects. Limited research has been conducted on these anomalies among biological relatives of patients with schizophrenia. The aims of this study were to investigate the MPAs in a Tunisian population: subjects with schizophrenia, their healthy siblings and control subjects. This study hypothesized that the mean MPAs score would be greater in patients than controls and that siblings would have intermediate scores. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that MPAs scores would be associated with negative and disorganised symptoms of schizophrenia. METHODS: We assessed 93 subjects with schizophrenia, 59 of their healthy siblings and 71 healthy controls, matched on gender and age. MPAs were assessed through use of a standardized scale derived from the Waldrop Scale [D. Gourion, G. Viot, C. Goldberger, M. Cartier, M.C. Bourdel, M.F. Poirier, J.P. Olie, H. Loo, M.O. Krebs, 2001. French validation of a Minor Morphologic Anomalies Scale in schizophrenic patients and their parents. Encephale 27, 143-147]. The schizophrenia psychopathology was evaluated by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S). RESULTS: Subjects with schizophrenia showed significantly higher MPAs score than siblings (4.6 +/- 2.8 vs. 3.0 +/- 2.1, p<0.0001) and controls groups: 1.9 +/- 1.5 (p<0.0001). Siblings had significantly higher score than control subjects (p=0.02). MPAs were correlated negatively with age of onset of the disease, and age of first hospitalisation, and positively with number of hospitalisations. Positive correlations were found between MPAs and PANSS total score, PANSS negative sub-score and CGI-S score. COMMENTS: Results of this study showed that MPAs are more frequent in subjects with schizophrenia and their siblings compared to control subjects. Positive correlations were found between MPAs, age of onset, severity of illness, and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, suggesting that those anomalies are correlated to severe form of schizophrenia. CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. FAU - Gassab, Leila AU - Gassab L AD - Research Laboratory "Vulnerability to psychotic disorders", Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir, Psychiatry Department, University Hospital of Monastir, 5000 Monastir, Tunisia. leilagassab@yahoo.fr FAU - Aissi, Mouna AU - Aissi M FAU - Slama, Hela AU - Slama H FAU - Gaha, Lotfi AU - Gaha L FAU - Mechri, Anwar AU - Mechri A LA - eng PT - Journal Article DEP - 20130109 PL - United States TA - Compr Psychiatry JT - Comprehensive psychiatry JID - 0372612 SB - IM MH - Adult MH - Anthropometry MH - Comorbidity MH - Female MH - Foot Deformities, Congenital/*epidemiology MH - Hand Deformities, Congenital/*epidemiology MH - Head/*abnormalities MH - Humans MH - Male MH - Middle Aged MH - Musculoskeletal Abnormalities/*epidemiology MH - Prevalence MH - Risk Factors MH - Schizophrenia/*epidemiology MH - Siblings MH - Tunisia/epidemiology EDAT- 2013/01/15 06:00 MHDA- 2014/02/01 06:00 CRDT- 2013/01/15 06:00 PHST- 2011/07/12 00:00 [received] PHST- 2012/11/10 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2012/11/13 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2013/01/15 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2013/01/15 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2014/02/01 06:00 [medline] AID - S0010-440X(12)00256-8 [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.11.007 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Compr Psychiatry. 2013 Jul;54(5):575-80. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.11.007. Epub 2013 Jan 9.