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Family Genetic Risk Scores and the Genetic Architecture of Major Affective and Psychotic Disorders in a Swedish National Sample

Kendler, Kenneth S. ; Ohlsson, Henrik LU ; Sundquist, Jan LU and Sundquist, Kristina LU (2021) In JAMA Psychiatry 78(7). p.735-743
Abstract

Importance: Family and genetic approaches have traditionally been used to evaluate our diagnostic concepts. Using a novel method, the family genetic risk score (FGRS), can we validate the genetic architecture of major affective and psychotic disorders in a national Swedish sample? Objective: To determine whether FGRSs, calculated for the entire Swedish population, can elucidate the genetic relationship between major affective and psychotic disorders and clarify the association of genetic risk with important clinical features of disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included the native Swedish population born from January 1, 1950, through December 31, 1995, and followed up through December 31, 2017. Data were... (More)

Importance: Family and genetic approaches have traditionally been used to evaluate our diagnostic concepts. Using a novel method, the family genetic risk score (FGRS), can we validate the genetic architecture of major affective and psychotic disorders in a national Swedish sample? Objective: To determine whether FGRSs, calculated for the entire Swedish population, can elucidate the genetic relationship between major affective and psychotic disorders and clarify the association of genetic risk with important clinical features of disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included the native Swedish population born from January 1, 1950, through December 31, 1995, and followed up through December 31, 2017. Data were collected from Swedish population-based primary care, specialist, and hospital registers, including age at first registration for a psychiatric diagnosis and number of registrations for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Data were analyzed from October 15, 2020, to February 2, 2021. Exposures: FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia calculated from morbidity risks for disorders in first-through fifth-degree relatives, controlling for cohabitation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Diagnoses of major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and other nonaffective psychoses (ONAPs), age at registration, and number of registrations for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Diagnostic conversion of major depression to bipolar disorder and ONAPs to schizophrenia was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: The cohort included 4129002 individuals (51.4% male) with a mean (SD) age at follow-up of 45.5 (13.4) years. Mean FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia produced distinct patterns for major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and ONAPs with large separations between disorders. In major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, high FGRSs were associated with early age at onset and high rates of recurrence: a high mean FGRS for bipolar disorder was associated with early age at onset (younger than 25 years, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.11-0.12) and higher recurrence (8 or more registrations, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.11-0.12) in major depression. The schizophrenia FGRS was separately associated with psychotic and nonpsychotic forms of major depression (0.10; 95% CI, 0.06-0.14 vs 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02-0.03) and bipolar disorder (0.22; 95% CI, 0.16-0.28 vs 0.11; 95% CI, 0.09-0.12). The bipolar disorder and schizophrenia FGRSs were associated with conversion from major depression to bipolar disorder (eg, hazard ratio, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.63-1.78] for high vs low bipolar FGRS) and ONAP to schizophrenia (eg, hazard ratio, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.27-1.51] for high vs low schizophrenia FGRS). Conclusions and Relevance: In this Swedish cohort study, the FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia for the Swedish population clearly separated major affective and psychotic disorders from each other in a larger and more representative patient sample than previously possible. These findings provide possible validation, from a genetic perspective, for these major diagnostic categories. These results replicated and extended prior observations on more limited samples of the association of FGRS with age at onset, recurrence, psychotic subtypes, and diagnostic conversions.

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author
; ; and
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
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in
JAMA Psychiatry
volume
78
issue
7
pages
735 - 743
publisher
American Medical Association
external identifiers
  • scopus:85105161237
  • pmid:33881469
ISSN
2168-622X
DOI
10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0336
language
English
LU publication?
yes
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Publisher Copyright: © 2021 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
id
1dc13e64-3fb8-4704-812c-32e8cf4f640a
date added to LUP
2021-05-28 15:04:23
date last changed
2024-04-20 07:39:06
@article{1dc13e64-3fb8-4704-812c-32e8cf4f640a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Importance: Family and genetic approaches have traditionally been used to evaluate our diagnostic concepts. Using a novel method, the family genetic risk score (FGRS), can we validate the genetic architecture of major affective and psychotic disorders in a national Swedish sample? Objective: To determine whether FGRSs, calculated for the entire Swedish population, can elucidate the genetic relationship between major affective and psychotic disorders and clarify the association of genetic risk with important clinical features of disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included the native Swedish population born from January 1, 1950, through December 31, 1995, and followed up through December 31, 2017. Data were collected from Swedish population-based primary care, specialist, and hospital registers, including age at first registration for a psychiatric diagnosis and number of registrations for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Data were analyzed from October 15, 2020, to February 2, 2021. Exposures: FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia calculated from morbidity risks for disorders in first-through fifth-degree relatives, controlling for cohabitation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Diagnoses of major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and other nonaffective psychoses (ONAPs), age at registration, and number of registrations for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Diagnostic conversion of major depression to bipolar disorder and ONAPs to schizophrenia was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: The cohort included 4129002 individuals (51.4% male) with a mean (SD) age at follow-up of 45.5 (13.4) years. Mean FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia produced distinct patterns for major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and ONAPs with large separations between disorders. In major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, high FGRSs were associated with early age at onset and high rates of recurrence: a high mean FGRS for bipolar disorder was associated with early age at onset (younger than 25 years, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.11-0.12) and higher recurrence (8 or more registrations, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.11-0.12) in major depression. The schizophrenia FGRS was separately associated with psychotic and nonpsychotic forms of major depression (0.10; 95% CI, 0.06-0.14 vs 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02-0.03) and bipolar disorder (0.22; 95% CI, 0.16-0.28 vs 0.11; 95% CI, 0.09-0.12). The bipolar disorder and schizophrenia FGRSs were associated with conversion from major depression to bipolar disorder (eg, hazard ratio, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.63-1.78] for high vs low bipolar FGRS) and ONAP to schizophrenia (eg, hazard ratio, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.27-1.51] for high vs low schizophrenia FGRS). Conclusions and Relevance: In this Swedish cohort study, the FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia for the Swedish population clearly separated major affective and psychotic disorders from each other in a larger and more representative patient sample than previously possible. These findings provide possible validation, from a genetic perspective, for these major diagnostic categories. These results replicated and extended prior observations on more limited samples of the association of FGRS with age at onset, recurrence, psychotic subtypes, and diagnostic conversions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kendler, Kenneth S. and Ohlsson, Henrik and Sundquist, Jan and Sundquist, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{2168-622X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{735--743}},
  publisher    = {{American Medical Association}},
  series       = {{JAMA Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{Family Genetic Risk Scores and the Genetic Architecture of Major Affective and Psychotic Disorders in a Swedish National Sample}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0336}},
  doi          = {{10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0336}},
  volume       = {{78}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}