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Maternal illness during pregnancy

How is maternal illness during pregnancy relevant to people with schizophrenia?

Maternal illness during pregnancy with diabetes, toxoplasma gondii, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus and other microbes have been associated with brain and behavioural abnormalities in the offspring, and so have been investigated as possible risk factors for schizophrenia. Please also see the topic on obstetric complications.

What is the evidence for exposure to maternal illness during pregnancy as a risk factor for schizophrenia?

Moderate to high quality evidence suggests a small increased risk of psychotic disorders (mostly schizophrenia spectrum or non-affective psychosis) following exposure to herpes simplex type 2 in utero. Lower quality evidence suggests exposure to toxoplasma gondii or genitourinary infections in utero may also be associated with increased risk of psychotic disorders. No significant risk was found for herpes simplex type 1, influenza (in any trimester), maternal diabetes, or cytomegalovirus.

High quality evidence suggests a small increased risk of schizophrenia in the offspring of women with increased c-reactive protein levels during pregnancy. Moderate to high quality evidence suggests small effects of increased risk of schizophrenia in the offspring of women with increased cytokines IL-8 or IL-10 during pregnancy.

April 2022

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Last updated at: 3:29 pm, 25th April 2022
To view documentation related to this topic download the files below
Fact Sheet Technical Commentary
Tags:  Maternal illness

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