Positive-negative dichotomy in course of schizophrenia leads to search for factors which could influence the formation of basic symptoms. The study of patients’ body types and morphological peculiarities according clinical feature of schizophrenia could find some influence factors. Body type and regional morphologic dysplasias (RMD) are basically morphophenotypical patterns available for routine examination in usual clinical psychiatric practice.

To reveal associations between body type, morphologic dysplasias and course of schizophrenia.

Anthropometric, somatoscopy examination of patients with schizophrenia with gradually progressive negative disorders: emotional, volition, thought disturbances, increasing autism and social isolation, stable anhedonia with motivation defect were conducted. The accounted morbidity of 168 patients from the whole group of individuals with schizophrenia was about 10% (128 [76%] males, 40 [23.8%] females). Clinical presentations of schizophrenia met the criteria of ICD-10. Anthropometric investigation was conducted with the help of Martin's anthropometer and major thickness compasses for recognition of body type. RMD was registered descriptively.

It was shown that in patients with negative course of schizophrenia asthenic body type prevailed (60%) with the accumulation of RMD (94,4%) in comparison with healthy individuals (26.2%, P< 0.001). Among patients with positive symptoms of schizophrenia picnic body type prevailed (P < 0.001).

Asthenic body type, accumulation of multiple RMD is associated with the domination of negative symptoms and continuous course of schizophrenia. Results of the study indicate the need for a deeper study of this issue on constitutional approach.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.