Histochemical abnormalities of skeletal muscle in acutely psychotic patients. II.

Abstract

MOST acutely psychotic patients of all types, as well as 25% of their immediate relatives, have increased serum activity of muscle-typetype creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and aldolase. 1-4 This is a most sensitive index of some types of muscle pathological abnormality, although the activities of these enzymes may be increased in many other disease and nondisease conditions. 5-7 The most likely nonmyopathic causes of increased activity of muscle enzymes in serum such as physical activity, effects of orally or intramuscularly administered medication, muscle trauma, and myocardial infarction do not appear to be responsible for the increased enzyme levels in acutely psychotic Patients. 1,2,8-10 No increases in serum CPK levels have been found in a large majority of chronically psychotic patients and severely disturbed nonpsychotic hospitalized Psychiatric patients who have been studied. 1-4 The etiology of the increased serum enzyme activity in acutely psychotic patients and some of their relatives is