Parental Consanguineous Marriages are Associated with Early Age of Onset of Schizophrenia in a Pakistani Cohort

Schizophrenia is a complex multifactorial psychiatric disorder. Both environmental and genetic factors are thought to play a role in the development of this condition. Many studies have shown an association between consanguinity and schizophrenia. A study from Iran has examined the association between age at onset and consanguinity. In this study, the researchers found a strong relationship between age of onset of schizophrenia symptoms and parental cousin marriages. There was no effect of positive family history of disease on age of onset.