ABSTRACT
Deficiency and excess amount of trace elements play an important role in several well recognized diseases, studies are going on to establish their role in schizophrenia. Selenium and other trace elements are indispensable components for certain enzymes responsible for various metabolic processes in different tissues including the brain as they play important functional roles in peripheral and central nervous systems. Objectives: In this study, we examined the levels of selenium in serum of patients of schizophrenia and compare them with normal healthy controls. Selenium was also measured in acute and chronic stage of schizophrenia categorized on the basis of PANSS score and correlated by Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient (ρ) in total cases, acute cases and chronic cases. Method: The study population comprised 150 patients and 150 age matched controls. We measured levels of Selenium by AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer). Results: We found that selenium levels were significantly lower in patients with schizophrenia than in the control group. The levels of micronutrients studied were also correlated with disease severity and duration but found non-significant relation. Conclusion: Evaluation of selenium levels in patients with schizophrenia could prove useful. There may be role of Selenium in the pathogenesis and course of Schizophrenia and new therapeutic approaches warrants further study.