Comparative Study of Clinical Features between Early- and Late-Onset Schizophrenia in South Korea
10.16946/kjsr.2019.22.2.51
- Author:
Mi Ae KO
1
;
Seon Koo LEE
;
Jung Suk LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Psychiatry, Myongji Hospital, Hanyang University Medical Center, Goyang, Korea.
- Publication Type:Comparative Study
- Keywords:
Age of onset;
Late onset;
Negative symptoms;
Schizophrenia;
Sex ratio
- MeSH:
Age of Onset;
Asian Continental Ancestry Group;
Employment;
Female;
Hospitals, General;
Humans;
Korea;
Medical Records;
Psychopathology;
Retrospective Studies;
Schizophrenia;
Sex Ratio;
Social Adjustment
- From:Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
2019;22(2):51-55
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: Late-onset schizophrenia (LOS, age at first onset ≥40 years) is characterized by including predominance of women, better premorbid social adjustment and lower severity of positive/negative symptoms. However, few studies have been conducted on LOS, especially in Asian countries. This study aimed to examine the clinical features of LOS in comparison with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). METHODS: By retrospectively reviewing medical records, we assessed demographic data and clinical features of 76 LOS (20 males) and 357 EOS (144 males) who admitted to the psychiatric ward of a general hospital. RESULTS: The mean ages of onset were 47.3±5.1 (LOS) and 25.7±6.5 (EOS) years. There were significantly more women in LOS (73.7%) than EOS (59.6%). Significantly more LOS patients had a marital (88.2% vs. 25.8%) and employment history (28.9% vs. 13.1%) than EOS. Patients with LOS had fewer negative (14.3±9.0 vs. 19.9±9.3), general psychopathology score (36.9±11.1 vs. 42.3±13.9) than EOS patients. CONCLUSION: In line with previous studies, this study demonstrated that LOS patients have better premorbid social adjustment. Our finding also replicates previous findings that LOS patients differ from EOS in predominance of women and relative lack of negative symptoms. These results suggest that LOS may be a distinct subtype of schizophrenia.
