The incidence of minor physical anomalies in adult male schizophrenics.

The Waldrop anomaly score was used to assess the incidence of minor physical anomalies among 40 adult male Caucasian schizophrenics. This sample had a higher group mean anomaly score than that reported for the normal population (p less than .001). Those with higher anomaly scores evidenced poorer premorbid adjustment (p less than .05). A significant relationship also existed between anomaly scores and the subset of premorbid adjustment, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Vocabulary scores, and the Neurological Impairment Index (p less than .05). These results suggest that first trimester developmental abnormalities, as reflected by the high incidence of anomalies, may parallel some form of central nervous system disturbance which may, in some cases, predispose toward the eventual development of schizophrenia. Implications of these findings, along with suggestions for further research, are considered.