Premature mortality was markedly increased in ASD owing to a multitude of medical conditions.

ContextThe treatment for transsexualism is sex reassignment, including hormonal treatment and surgery aimed at making the person's body as congruent with the opposite sex as possible. There is a dearth of long term, follow-up studies after sex reassignment.ObjectiveTo estimate mortality, morbidity, and criminal rate after surgical sex reassignment of transsexual persons.DesignA population-based matched cohort study.SettingSweden, 1973-2003.ParticipantsAll 324 sex-reassigned persons (191 male-to-females, 133 female-to-males) in Sweden, 1973–2003. Random population controls (10∶1) were matched by birth year and birth sex or reassigned (final) sex, respectively.Main Outcome MeasuresHazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality and psychiatric morbidity were obtained with Cox regression models, which were adjusted for immigrant status and psychiatric morbidity prior to sex reassignment (adjusted HR [aHR]).ResultsThe overall mortality for sex-reassigned persons was higher during follow-up (aHR 2.8; 95% CI 1.8–4.3) than for controls of the same birth sex, particularly death from suicide (aHR 19.1; 95% CI 5.8–62.9). Sex-reassigned persons also had an increased risk for suicide attempts (aHR 4.9; 95% CI 2.9–8.5) and psychiatric inpatient care (aHR 2.8; 95% CI 2.0–3.9). Comparisons with controls matched on reassigned sex yielded similar results. Female-to-males, but not male-to-females, had a higher risk for criminal convictions than their respective birth sex controls.ConclusionsPersons with transsexualism, after sex reassignment, have considerably higher risks for mortality, suicidal behaviour, and psychiatric morbidity than the general population. Our findings suggest that sex reassignment, although alleviating gender dysphoria, may not suffice as treatment for transsexualism, and should inspire improved psychiatric and somatic care after sex reassignment for this patient group.

A familial cosegregation of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with creativity is suggested.

Background The clinical and etiological relation between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia is unclear. The degree to which these disorders share a basis in etiology has important implications for clinicians, researchers, and those affected. Our objective was to determine if a family history of schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder was a risk factor for ASD. We conducted a case-control evaluation of histories of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in first-degree relatives of probands in three samples, population registers in Sweden, Stockholm County, and Israel. Probands met criteria for ASD, and affection status of parents and siblings for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were established. Findings The presence of schizophrenia in parents was associated with an increased risk for ASD in a Swedish national cohort (odds ratio 2.9, 95% CI 2.5–3.4) and in a Stockholm County cohort (odds ratio 2.9, 95% CI 2.0–4.1). Similarly, schizophrenia in a sibling was associated with an increased risk for ASD in a Swedish national cohort (odds ratio 2.6, 95% CI 2.0–3.2) and in an Israeli conscription cohort (odds ratio 12.1, 95% CI 4.5–32). Bipolar disorder showed a similar pattern of associations but of lesser magnitude. Interpretation Findings from these three registers along with consistent findings from a similar study in Denmark suggest that ASD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder share common etiological factors. Funding Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, the Swedish Research Council, and the Beatrice and Samuel A. Seaver Foundation.

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