Outcome in males with first-episode schizophrenia: 7-year follow-up
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/15622975.2010.518625 |
| Field | Psychiatry, sexuology |
| Keywords | first episode schizophrenia; symptoms; long term follow up; remission |
| Description | Objectives. The early course of schizophrenia is highly variable. We assessed outcomes of patients with first-episode schizophrenia at 7-year follow-up. Methods. Consecutively hospitalized male patients were included if they were experiencing their first admission for first-episode schizophrenia and were reassessed at 1-, 4- and 7-year follow-ups. The psychopathology was evaluated using the PANSS, relative decrease of PANSS and remission status based on severity of core symptoms. Results. Forty-four of 76 patients were reassessed three times. At the end of index hospitalization 73% of patients achieved remission; however, after 1, 4 and 7 years, the percentage had dropped to 50, 50 and 52%, respectively. When compared post-hoc there was no significant difference in PANSS and response to treatment between remitters and non-remitters during the index hospitalization; however, a significant difference in psychopathology emerged first after 1, 4 and 7 years. All patients who had not achieve remission after 1 year also failed to achieve remission after 4 and 7 years. Conclusions. Response to treatment during the first psychotic break-through may not be a decisive indicator for the outlook of the disease. Our data suggest that when deterioration occurs, it does so early after the first episode. |
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