Study links schizophrenia to flu during pregnancy

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Over the past several decades, a steady stream of studies has documented that people born in winter...

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[Thornton]

Re: ExpressIndiaStudy links schizophrenia to flu during pregnancy

Re: ExpressIndiaStudy links schizophrenia to flu during pregnancy

The article speculates that a mother's immunity to flu could cause schizophrenia. The reasoning for that speculation is not present in the article.

That?s because the newest studies suggest the culprit may not be infections such as the flu per se, but pregnant mothers? immune reactions to such infections. If maternal antibodies increase the risk for schizophrenia, might protecting mom and baby from the flu raise the risk the child could get schizophrenia years later?

Research into the links between maternal flu and schizophrenia is still considered preliminary, which makes any policy conclusions premature, but scientists studying the connection are starting to worry. National guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that pregnant women get flu shots.

We will need to look for the primary data source. It is not clear that the research cited even mentions antibodies to influenza. We do know that the influenza virus itself can adversely affect the fetus.

As the article notes at the beginning, this line of work has be ongoing for years. I started my early career in the 80's following the work of TJ Crow in the UK. As a student in Texas, I worked in the lab screening sera of patients with schizophrenia for antibodies to viruses. After all these years we still have more clues than conclusions.
Joe E Thornton MD