Association of Schizophrenia and Autoimmune Diseases: Linkage of Danish National Registers
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Individuals with schizophrenia and their relatives tend to have either higher or lower than expected prevalences of autoimmune disorders, especially rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, autoimmune thyroid diseases, and type 1 diabetes. The purpose of the study was to estimate the association of schizophrenia with these disorders as well as a range of other autoimmune diseases in a single large epidemiologic study. METHOD: The Danish Psychiatric Register, the National Patient Register, and a register with socioeconomic information were linked to form a data file that included all 7,704 persons in Denmark diagnosed with schizophrenia from 1981 to 1998 and their parents along with a sample of matched comparison subjects and their parents. The data linkage required that the autoimmune disease occur before the diagnosis of schizophrenia. RESULTS: A history of any autoimmune disease was associated with a 45% increase in risk for schizophrenia. Nine autoimmune disorders had higher prevalence rates among patients with schizophrenia than among comparison subjects (crude incidence rate ratios ranging from 1.9 to 12.5), and 12 autoimmune diseases had higher prevalence rates among parents of schizophrenia patients than among parents of comparison subjects (adjusted incidence rate ratios ranging from 1.3 to 3.8). Thyrotoxicosis, celiac disease, acquired hemolytic anemia, interstitial cystitis, and Sjögren's syndrome had higher prevalence rates among patients with schizophrenia than among comparison subjects and also among family members of schizophrenia patients than among family members of comparison subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Schizophrenia is associated with a larger range of autoimmune diseases than heretofore suspected. Future research on comorbidity has the potential to advance understanding of pathogenesis of both psychiatric and autoimmune disorders.
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A consistent finding is a negative relationship between schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases.
“A consistent finding is the negative relationship between schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases.”
From Excess early mortality in schizophrenia. (2014) · cites this paper as Eaton et al. 2006
Rheumatoid arthritis has a negative correlation with schizophrenia.
“Rheumatoid arthritis in particular has been shown to have a negative correlation with schizophrenia (Eaton et al. 1992(Eaton et al. , 2006;;Oken & Schulzer 1999).”
From Excess early mortality in schizophrenia. (2014) · cites this paper as Eaton et al. 2006
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- Authors
- Eaton, W. W., Byrne, M., Ewald, H., Mors, O., Chen, C.-Y., Agerbo, E., & Mortensen, P. B.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2006-03-01
- Volume
- 163
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 521-528
- ISSN
- 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-7228
- OpenAlex
- W2075199575
- Cited by
- 527
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 13.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Public Health Service (53188)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research
- Keywords
- schizophrenia, autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, family history (medicine), comorbidities, incidence rate ratio, Sjögren's syndrome, interstitial cystitis, acquired hemolytic anemia, thyrotoxicosis, data linkage
- MeSH terms
- Autoimmune Diseases, Denmark, Female, Humans, Male, Medical Record Linkage, Parents, Registries, Risk Factors, Schizophrenia, Comorbidity, Incidence, Prevalence, Age of Onset, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, International Classification of Diseases
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