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About one in 100 people has schizophrenia, so although it's not as common as depression and anxiety it still affects and disables a large number of people, particularly young adults. About one in 100 people has schizophrenia, so although it's not as common as depression and anxiety it still affects and disables a large number of people, particularly young adults. There have long been suspicions that schizophrenia may, in part, be linked to the exposure of pregnant women to viruses and toxins. One reason for this is that schizophrenia may not have emerged until the Industrial Revolution and another is that the condition seems to have changed over the years, suggesting that this isn't a simple story. Now findings taken from following thousands of women and their offspring are suggesting possible culprits during pregnancy. One is lead. From a large study in California, where the source of lead was car exhausts, women with the highest lead exposure were almost twice as likely to have a child who went on to develop schizophrenia. One virus linked to the disease is congenital rubella and another is influenza during pregnancy. Other factors also emerging are shortage of oxygen around birth, meningitis and - just maybe - low levels of folic acid. Another mysterious relationship is that migrants seem to be more at risk - but no-one knows why. The good news in all this is that one day, schizophrenia may be partly preventable.
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