Morphometric characteristics of craniofacial features in patients with schizophrenia

Background: High incidence of craniofacial dysmorphology in patients with schizophrenia confirms the developmental disruptions during embryonic period.Anthropometry of head and face can give us several clues regarding the maldevelopment of brain.The aim of this study was to assess various dimensions of skull in Schizophrenics.Methods: One hundred and one (101) male and female patients that have been diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia were selected from a psychiatric hospital and 101 healthy controls, which were mostly the paramedical staff of another hospital, were included in the study.The age for both the groups was between 20 to 60 years.The head length, width and height and coronal, axial and sagittal arc lengths, and also body height and weight and BMI of participants were measured.Results: Mean anthropometric measurements of head length, width and height were 18.92, 14.08 and 12.69 in patients and 18.90, 13.89 and 13.38 centimeter in control, also axial, coronal and sagittal arc lengths were 55.85, 35.21 and 33.00 in patients and 55.70, 34.54 and 32.19 centimeter in control group, respectively.Compared to controls the patients had significantly increased coronal (P< 0.022) and Sagittal (P< 0.001) arc lengths.The patients also showed significantly lesser head height (P< 0.001) as compared with controls.Conclusion: The linear measurements of skull in patients with Schizophrenia do not significantly differ from normal populations and/or have slightly differences.Future studies may investigate whether head can be an anatomical marker for patients with schizophrenia.