ABSTRACT
Objective This study examined the prevalence of underweight and its related risk factors of community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia. Methods Five hundred and three community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia and 323 healthy controls were recruited in a cross-sectional study. Body mass index less than 18.5 was defined as underweight. Their demographic and clinical data including anthropometric data, plasma glucose and lipid parameters were collected. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess patients' psychopathology. Results The prevalence of underweight was 9.9% (50/503) in schizophrenia patients versus 1.5% (5/323) in the control group ( P<0.01). Further logistic regression analysis showed that male ( OR=2.43, 95%CI:1.74~3.39), smoking behavior (OR=1.50, 95%CI: 1.21~1.86), hospitalization times (OR=1.18, 95% CI: 1.06~1.31), PANSS negative score (OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.04~1.14) were significant predictors for underweight (all P<0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of underweight is higher in Chinese patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. Some demographic and clinical variables are risk factors for underweight in schizophrenia.
ABSTRACT
Objective To compare cognitive function and alexithymia between the schizophrenic patients treated with chlorpromazine and those treated with clozapine. Methods The patients with schizophrenia in stable condition that received maintenance treatment either with chlorpromazine or clozapine and normal control subjects were recruited (n=24 per group). Neuropsychological tests, including Digit Vigilance Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Trail Making Test-A&B (TMT-A&B), Animal Naming Test, Stroop Color-Word Test, Block Design and Spatial Span Test were used to assess the participant’s cognitive function. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) were used to evaluate the participant’s alexithymia. Results The significant differences were found between the patients and the controls in all items of cognitive function and all factor scores of TAS-20 (P0.05). Multivari? ate linear regression analysis showed that in the clozapine group, attention function associated with the total score of TAS (β=-0.20, P<0.05), executive function associated with TAS factor 1 (β=-0.26, P=0.03), spatial function associated with TAS factor 2 (β=-0.24, P<0.01). In the chlorpromazine group, attention function associated with TAS factor 2 (β=-1.24, P<0.01), executive function associated with TAS factor 2 (β=-0.33, P=0.02). Conclusions Patients with schizophrenia in maintenance period have widely cognitive impairment and alexithymia, both of which are related to each other.