The incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia show prominent variation between locations.
Males are more likely to develop schizophrenia than females (1.4 : 1)
Migrant status, urban birth or residence, and advanced paternal age are associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia.
genetic risk accounts for ~50% of the risk and includes:
C4 gene on chromosome 6
1)
Prenatal infection and malnutrition are associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia
Individuals with schizophrenia have a 2–3-fold increased mortality risk compared with the general population. This differential mortality gap may have worsened in recent decades.
the greater the exposure to cannabis, the greater the risk of developing schizophrenia.
in women, oestrogen “protects” women from developing severe schizophrenia at an early age.
fading oestrogen secretion at menopause in vulnerable women leads to relapse of schizophrenia symptoms or new, late-onset schizophrenia.
in 2026, it was reported that an Indian family where the mother and two of her children all developed schizophrenia had a C182F variant of the TAAR1 gene which made the receptor non-functioning
2)