Evaluation of Thyroid Function Hormones Among Patients with Schizophrenia in a Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Assessment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4314/njbmb.v40i1.3Keywords:
Thyroid stimulating hormone, , free triiodothyronin (T3) , free thyroxine (T4), , SchizophreniaAbstract
Endocrine disorders including thyroid hormone deregulation has been associated with the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The study evaluated the thyroid hormones of patients with schizophrenia receiving care at Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu. A total of 108 patients between the ages of 18 to 65 years were enrolled; 38 were antipsychotic naïve while 70 were on treatment with atypical antipsychotics. As control, 50 apparently healthy participants were included. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate the studied hormones. Among the patients on atypical antipsychotics, high concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (4.82 ± 6.45 µIU/ml) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) (2.53 ± 0.40 pg/dL) were observed when compared to the concentrations among treatment naïve (TSH: 2.31 ± 2.46 µIU/ml and FT3: 2.36 ± 0.33 pg/dL) and the control (TSH: 1.88 ± 0.87 µIU/ml and FT3: 2.14 ± 0.76 pg/dL) participants. Patients with schizophrenia stand the risk of developing thyroid abnormalities which may be as a result of the disease associated stress or antipsychotic medication. Occasional examination of the thyroid function of persons with chronic schizophrenia and more research to unravel the relation between the thyroid and mental health are encouraged.
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