Original article

Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research 2006;9(2):83-87.

정신분열병 발병 연령에 따른 증상 및 예후의 차이：전향적 1년 추적 연구

Hye-Yoon Jeong, MD1, Yong-Ku Kim, MD, PhD1, Sang-Woo Han, MD, PhD2 and Sun-Hwa Park, MD, PhD3

Abstract

Objectives:There have been studies demonstrating that early age of onset is related to poor course and outcome in schizophrenia. This study examined the relationship between age of onset and the outcomes of one-year treatment after hospitalization in Korean schizophrenic patients.
Methods:Forty-two newly admitted subjects with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR criteria) in a hospital from May 2003 to February 2005 were grouped into early onset (N=26) and late onset (N=16) by the age of 34. All patients had acute psychotic symptoms at the time of enrollment and were medication-naive (first-onset) or medication free for at least 4 month. The severity of psychopathology, depression, social/occupational functioning were evaluated at baseline (admission) and at 12 months using the measures as follows；Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), Korean version of the Social Adjustment Scale II revised version (KSAS II-RV).
Results:No significant statistical difference between two groups was found in one-year follow-up data including PANSS score (early onset 59.81±15.22, late onset 69.33±13.50), CDSS score (early onset 3.25±3.11, late onset 5.00±4.36), KSAS II-RV score (early onset 3.47±1.00, late onset 3.80±1.02), and Remission rate (early onset: 64.0% late onset: 36.0%). At one-year follow-up, PANSS subscore difference between two groups were not statistically significant.
Conclusion:Data from this study indicates that there is no statistically significant difference of symptoms and social adjustment between early onset and late onset schizophrenia patients, comparing with one-year treatment outcomes after hospitalization. Our data is not in concordance with previous results. Considering small sample size and relatively short term elaboration, larger and longer study needs to be evaluated in future studies. (Korean J Schizophr Res 2006;9:83-87)

Key Words: Age at onset,Schizophrenia,Symptomatology,Prognosis