The effect of atypical antipsychotics on hormonal and biochemical parameters in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective of this research is to study the effect of atypical antipsychotics on hormonal and biochemical parameters in patients with schizophrenia. Materials and methods . A comprehensive clinical, psychopathological and laboratory examination of 96 patients with schizophrenia (F20 according to ICD-10) who were hospitalized in the Department of Endogenous Disorders of the Scientific Research Institute of Mental Health of the Tomsk Scientific Research Center and received second-generation antipsychotics, was carried out. The Positive and Negative Syndromes (PANSS) scale (in the adapted Russian version of SCI-PANSS) was filled for a psychometric assessment of the severity and dynamics of schizophrenia symptoms in all patients upon admission to hospital and at discharge after 4 weeks. The laboratory study included determination of the concentration of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoproteins (HDL), glucose, insulin and cortisol in blood serum with the calculation of lipoproteins with low (LDL) and very low (VLDL) density, atherogenic index (IA) ) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Statistical data processing was performed using the standard application package SPSS Statistic (V. 17.) for Windows. Differences were considered statistically significant at p ≤0.05. Results . The pronounced effect of four-week treatment with atypical antipsychotics on the metabolism of glucose [glucose (p <0.001) and HOMA-IR (p=0.036)] was established. A statistically significant increase in TC (p=0.005), TG (p <0.001), VLDL (p <0.001), IA (p <0.001) and TG/HDL (p <0.001) after four weeks of treatment with atypical antipsychotics. No statistically significant changes in hormone levels were established. Conclusions . The results demonstrate the pronounced effect of a four-week treatment with atypical antipsychotics on glucose metabolism, a change in glucose level and insulin resistance index. A typical atherogenic change in the serum lipid spectrum is shown. These indicators are laboratory markers of the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and therefore careful monitoring of metabolic disorders in patients with schizophrenia is necessary.