[Effect of various extrinsic factors on the course of schizophrenia].

Clinical and statistical studies of 800 case histories of schizophrenia with an unfavourable (400 patients) and slow-progredient (400 patients) course with due regard for objective anamnestic data and findings of neurological examination revealed a significant and substantial difference in the occurrence of some exogenous factors. In the patients with schizophrenia running an unfavourable course, chronic otitis occurred 15 times more frequently, severe childhood infections 4.5 times, rheumatic fever 2.2 times, pathology of pregnancy and birth 2 times more frequently. The same patients demonstrated a 10-time more frequent occurrence of residual phenomena of organic brain injury. The data obtained might attest to the possibility of the effect of the factors cited on the severity of schizophrenia.