Abstract
There is a dearth of information on the association of atopy with schizophrenia. The few available studies used population-based registers to classify the atopy status of the patients but this strategy is not reliable. This study measured seropositivity with a multiallergen screen of allergen specific IgE antibodies in schizophrenia patients versus healthy controls. A subset of 66 schizophrenia patients and 34 healthy controls were randomly selected from a large comparative study of schizophrenia patients and controls. The Phadiatop multi-allergen screen was performed on sera from all the participants to assess their atopic status. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio for the association of schizophrenia with Phadiatop seropositivity as a measure of atopy. The prevalence of Phadiatop seropositivity was significantly lower (χ2 4.59, p = 0.032) and there was a reduced odds ratio for atopy in schizophrenia patients relative to controls (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.94, p = 0.036). Though limited by a relatively small sample size and potentially confounded by anti-psychotic medications, this study suggests that the prevalence of atopy is lower in patients with schizophrenia. Replicating these results in larger samples could add to our growing understanding of immunological implications in mental illness.
Highlights
Atopy is a genetically determined condition which predisposes an individual to a group of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody-mediated diseases including asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis [1]
Schizophrenia is associated with a reduced life expectancy and some studies have reported that schizophrenia patients on average die 20 years earlier than the general population [5]
Comorbid medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and viral hepatitis are highly prevalent in schizophrenia and are risk factors implicated in the reduced life expectancy of schizophrenia [6]
Summary
Atopy is a genetically determined condition which predisposes an individual to a group of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody-mediated diseases including asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis [1]. Increasing incidence and prevalence rates of atopic disorders, especially in western societies, have been hypothesized to relate to a shift in the immune response from a TH1 to a TH2 profile This shift is postulated to be due to improved personal and environmental cleanliness, which has led to a reduced rate of exposure to fungal, microbial and infectious agents that typically mobilize TH1 inflammatory responses early in life; this is the previously called “hygien e hypothesis” [1,2], renamed the “old friends” hypothesis [3]. A number of current treatment guidelines emphasize the need for optimal monitoring of the physical health status of patients [7,8] In this vein, it is desirable to evaluate the association of atopy with schizophrenia since atopic disorders can impact significantly on an individual’s physical health status. Similar elevations in the expression of TH2 cytokines have been found in the orbitofrontal cortex of suicide victims [16]
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