Prenatal Exposure To Lead, Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid, And Schizophrenia: Further Evidence

BACKGROUND: A previously conducted study of prenatal lead exposure and schizophrenia using delta-aminolevulinic acid, a biologic marker of Ph exposure, in archived maternal serum samples collected from subjects enrolled in the Childhood Health and Development Study (1959-1966) based in Oakland, California, suggested a possible association between prenatal Ph exposure and the development of schizophrenia in later life.OBJECTIVES: In the present study we extend these findings using samples collected from the New England cohort of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-1966). Using similar methods, in this study we found results that suggest a comparable association in this cohort.METHODS: We pooled matched sets of cases and controls from both the California and New, England sites using a multilevel random-intercept logistic regression model, accounting for matching and site structure as well as adjusting for maternal age at delivery and maternal education.RESULTS: The estimated odds ratio for schizophrenia associated with exposure corresponding to 15 mu g/dL of blood Pb was 1.92 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-3.87; p = 0.03).CONCLUSION: Although several limitations constrain generalizability, these results are consistent with previous findings and provide further evidence for the role of early environmental exposures in the development of adult-onset psychiatric disorders.