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Higher levels of maternal C-reactive protein increased offspring schizophrenia risk

Offspring of women with higher levels of C-reactive protein during pregnancy may be at an increased risk for schizophrenia, according to recent findings.

Alan Brown, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology and psychiatry at Columbia University, and colleagues evaluated maternal C-reactive protein levels of 777 women with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (cases) as well as 777 women without (controls) to determine the effect of C-reactive protein levels on schizophrenia risk in offspring. Data were obtained from the Finnish Prenatal Study of Schizophrenia cohort.

Increased C-reactive protein was associated with increased maternal age, increased previous number of births, greater gestational week at blood draw and birth in a rural area. Schizophrenia in offspring was significantly associated with parental history of psychiatric disorders, as well as twin/singleton birth, urbanicity and province of birth.

Researchers found that schizophrenia risk in offspring was significantly associated with increasing maternal C-reactive protein (OR=1.12; 95% CI, 1.02-1.24). Cases had higher median maternal C-reactive protein levels (2.47 mg/L) vs. 2.17 mg/L for controls.

Following adjustment for maternal age, previous births, maternal education, parental psychiatric disorders, urbanicity of birth, province of birth, twin/singleton birth and gestational week at blood draw, the association between offspring schizophrenia risk and increasing maternal C-reactive protein was greater (OR=1.28; 95% CI, 1.07-1.54). Researchers explained this yields a 28% increase in the risk for schizophrenia for every 1 mg/L increase in maternal C-reactive protein.

Maternal C-reactive protein levels ≥10 mg/L also led to an increased risk for schizophrenia in offspring (OR=1.58; 95% CI, 1.04-2.40).

“This is the first time that this association has been demonstrated, indicating that an infection or increased inflammation during pregnancy could increase the risk of schizophrenia in the offspring,” Brown said in a press release. “Inflammation has been shown to alter brain development in previous studies, and schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Thus, this study provides an important link between inflammation and schizophrenia and may help us to better understand the biological mechanisms that lead to this disorder. To the extent that the increased inflammation is due to infection, this work may suggest that approaches aimed at preventing infection may have the potential to reduce risk of schizophrenia.”

Disclosure: The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Sackler Institute Fellowship and the State Research Institute. One researcher reports financial ties with Forest.