Higher Serum C-Reactive Protein Levels in Catatonic Patients: A Comparison to Non-catatonic Patients and Healthy Controls

AbstractCatatonia is a psychomotor syndrome defined by a constellation of predominantly motor symptoms. The aim of the present study was to determine whether recently admitted psychiatric patients with catatonia exhibited higher serum C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels compared to non-catatonic psychiatric patients and healthy controls (HCs). Recently admitted psychiatric patients were screened and evaluated for the catatonia syndrome using the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The study sample was formed by 150 individuals (39 male and 111 female), including 51 catatonic patients, 55 non-catatonic patients, and 44 HCs. Serum hs-CRP levels were processed with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of creatine kinase (CK), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), immunoglobulin G (IgG), complement component 3 (C3), and complement component 4 (C4) were also determined. There was a significantly higher percentage of patients with high inflammatory levels (hs-CRP> 3000ng/ml) in the catatonic (43.1%) than in the non-catatonic (14.5%) or HCs group (9.1%) ( χ 2 =18.9,P< .001). Logistic regression showed that catatonic patients had significantly higher hs-CRP levels compared to non-catatonic patients even after controlling for other clinical and laboratory variables (OR = 3.52,P = .015, 95% CI 1.28 –9.79). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that log-transformed hs-CRP ...
Source: Schizophrenia Bulletin - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research