Psychiatr Prax 2007 Jul 7;34(5):223-9. Epub 2006 Dec 7.
Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, J.-W.-Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/M.
Objective: There is some evidence that the treatment with new ("atypical") neuroleptics is associated with a higher frequency of hyperlipidemia.
Aim: In this study the serum lipid levels of patients with chronic schizophrenia were investigated.
Methods: The serum lipid levels of 177 consecutively admitted schizophrenic patients treated at least 5 years were evaluated.
Results: No gender differences of lipid concentrations could be detected. A considerable rate of the patients (35.6 %) showed elevated triglycerides (> 150 mg/dl) or elevated cholesterol levels (> 200 mg/dl; 43.9 %). The rate of patients with elevated cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations is associated with the duration of treatment. The comparison of different groups of neuroleptics yielded at best a trend to higher triglyceride levels in the patients treated with dibenzodiazepines compared to those receiving only classical neuroleptics. The triglyceride concentrations correlated with the body mass index (rho = 0.25, p < 0.01).
Conclusions: This study revealed evidence for an association of the rate of patients with elevated lipid levels and duration of neuroleptic treatment in schizophrenia patients.