Examining the association between maternal analgesic use during pregnancy and risk of psychotic symptoms during adolescence.

BACKGROUND

Children and adolescents who report psychotic symptoms in non-clinical samples are at an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. Study of such 'high risk' groups may increase our understanding of early risk factors for psychotic illnesses. Maternal infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia in the offspring, and it has been hypothesised that exposure to maternal intake of analgesics during pregnancy, taken to alleviate the symptoms of viral infections, may partly explain this association. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal use of aspirin and other analgesics during pregnancy and the occurrence of psychotic symptoms in the offspring.

METHODS

This was a longitudinal study of 6437 children belonging to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort who participated in the psychosis-like-symptoms semi-structured interview (PLIKSi) at 12years of age. Data on in-utero exposure to analgesics were obtained from self-report questionnaires completed by the mothers during pregnancy.

RESULTS

Increasing frequency of aspirin use during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of psychotic experiences (adjusted OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.08-1.92). Risk was highest in those whose mothers used aspirin most days or daily (adjusted OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.27-6.07). Paracetamol and other analgesic use during pregnancy were not associated with the risk of offspring psychotic symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Medications such as aspirin that interfere with the prostaglandin pathway, taken during pregnancy, may influence the risk of schizophrenia in the offspring. Other epidemiological studies are needed to examine this association further.