
Research view
Title: | Assessment of serum level of total glutathione in a sample of schizophrenic patients versus bipolar patients |
Author: | Heba Fathy, Hoda Abdou Hussein Bayoumy, Shereen Mohamed Abdel Mawla, Maged Al-adrousy and Hadeel Al-Hanafi |
Abstract: |
Introduction
There is strong evidence that oxygen-free radicals may play an important role in the
pathophysiology of major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
Aim of the study
The aim of the study was to detect the difference in the level of total glutathione (GSH)
in serum samples of schizophrenic patients compared with bipolar patients and healthy
controls, and assess any significant correlation between the level of GSH and clinical
findings.
Patients and methods
This is a case–control cross-sectional study that included a sample of 30
schizophrenic patients and 30 patients with bipolar I disorder (manic, depressive,
mixed episode) who were compared with 30 healthy controls well matched for age,
sex, educational level, and marital state. All patients were recruited from the Kasr Al
Aini psychiatric outpatient clinic and inpatient department.
This was a cross-sectional case–control study.
Psychometric procedure
The Young Mania Rating Scale, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and the
Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were used. Serum samples were evaluated for
level of GSH.
Results
There were statistically significant differences between controls and both patients with
schizophrenia and those with bipolar I disorder in terms of serum level of total GSH,
but no significant differences between the two patient groups. There was significant
negative correlation between GSH and both negative symptoms and number of
hospital admissions in the schizophrenic group. There was significant negative
correlation between GSH level and both aging and duration of illness in the bipolar
disorder group, and significant positive correlation between GSH and manic-mixed
episode in the bipolar group. There was significant positive correlation between
smoking and GSH in the control group but no significant correlation between the level
of GSH and smoking in the schizophrenic group or bipolar group.
Conclusion
This preliminary study detects low levels of serum GSH in both schizophrenic and
bipolar patients compared with controls. Thus, total GSH seems to play a role in the
pathophysiology of these disorders and it may be considered an important indirect
biomarker for the oxidative stress theory in these patients for further studies and
investigation in a large group sample.
Keywords:
bipolar, glutathione, schizophrenia
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Journal: | Middle East Current Psychiatry 2015, 22:198–202 |
Text: | |
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