Excretion of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids and 17-ketosteroids in relation to schizophrenic symptoms

Abstract

The urinary excretions of 17-KS and 17-OHCS of 9 schizophrenic patients were determined for 5-day averages over a drug-free observation of 7 months. In addition, urinary steroids were measured in 1-day specimens in 2 patients both during sudden exacerbations of schizophrenic symptoms as well as over randomly selected 3-week periods. It was found that the mean excretion of 17-KS of this group of schizophrenic patients was consistently higher than that of normal subjects of comparable ages. The excretion of 17-OHCS was also raised above normal, but to a lesser extent. Individual excretion rates of 17-KS as well as the means were almost unchange throughout the observation period in all but 2 patients. Two schizophrenic patients displaying a great degree of motor activity and/or anxiety without marked fluctuations of their schizophrenic symptoms were found to have generally high excretion rates of 17-KS, while a withdrawn catatonic patient with signs of intense tension and anxiety not only revealed elevated values for 17-KS but also the highest rates of all for 17-OHCS. Sudden severe exacerbations of schizophrenic symptoms in 2 patients were accompanied by rises of both 17-KS and 17-OHCS. Ratings on the severity of schizophrenic symptoms and the degree of motor activity revealed a tendency of elevated urinary steroid hormones to be related to concomitant high degrees of motor activity and anxiety. Although statistically not significant on day-to-day correlations, the more marked daily variations of motor activity and schizophrenic behavior were associated with highly variable steroid excretion.