The Relationship between the Second-Generation Antipsychotics Efficacy and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Constitutions in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Tzu-Pei Yeh,Jui-Fen Cheng,Yu-Fen Chen,Li-Chi Huang

doi:10.3390/healthcare9111480

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia requires lifelong treatment; Second-generation Antipsychotics (SGAs) have become the most prescribed medication for schizophrenia patients. The efficacy of various SGAs treatment may differ in schizophrenia patients with various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution (BC) types. Method: This study applied a longitudinal quantitative research design, where a total of 66 participants were recruited. The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score were used to evaluate patients’ psychopathology status in hospitalization, and body constitution questionnaires were conducted by face-to-face interviews in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th week of hospitalization. Results: More than 60% of schizophrenia patients who were treated with SGAs were classified to have unbalanced BC types including Yin-Xu, Yang-Xu and Stasis. Generalized estimating equation analysis revealed significant time effects in CGI and PANSS score improvements in both unbalanced and gentleness (balance) BC types, but no significant changes in the group and group-time interaction in the CGI and PANSS scores in different BC type groups. Conclusions: Schizophrenia patients under SGAs treatment had a higher proportion of unbalanced BC types which may lead to poorer physical or mental statuses, such as overweight problems. Health care providers could apply interventions according to patients’ BC types for disease prevention.

Highlights

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder which affects various functions in daily lives
Previous studies have demonstrated several advantages of Second-generation Antipsychotics (SGAs) compared to first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs), such as lower re-administration rates, shorter hospitalization duration, less adverse effects, less dosage of anticholinergic agents, and better medication adherence [2,3,4,5,6]; metabolic side effects among SGAs users have become a challenge for an aging society with the considerable efficacy and safety in antipsychotics treatments [7]
body constitution (BC) in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has the potential to be used as an evaluation tool for planning health promotion strategies in mental care. This is the first study to explore the longitudinal relationship between BC types and the efficacy of SGAs in schizophrenia patients

Summary

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder which affects various functions in daily lives. Individualized medicine with more specific treatments are the most important advances in current 21st century medicine guidelines [8], and it is mainly established based on genomics personal information. These genomics-based treatments are quite expensive; some challenges must be addressed before these treatments are applied broadly, such as ethical, security, privacy, and legal issues in genetic tests [9]. Schizophrenia requires lifelong treatment; Second-generation Antipsychotics (SGAs) have become the most prescribed medication for schizophrenia patients. The efficacy of various SGAs treatment may differ in schizophrenia patients with various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution (BC) types. Health care providers could apply interventions according to patients’ BC types for disease prevention

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