Effects of phenothiazine drugs on serum levels of apolipoproteins and lipoproteins in schizophrenic subjects.
To investigate the risk factors and clinical significance of blood-lipid metabolic disorder in schizophrenic patients caused by phenothiazine treatment for long term (from 1 month to 25 years). Serum levels of apolipoprotein AI (apoAI), apolipoprotein B (apoB), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) were measured in 120 chronic schizophrenia patients, 50 vascular dementia, and 100 normal controls by the enzyme method and immune fluoroscopy turbidimetric method. The patients with schizophrenia and vascular dementia had significantly lower content of apoAI, HDL-C, and apoAI/apoB than those in normal control (P<0.01). Their apoB and TG levels were higher than the healthy control group (P<0.01). The TG contents in the negative group and the vascular dementia group were obviously higher than the positive group (P<0.01) while there was no marked difference between the TC levels in the three groups and the normal control group (P>0.05). The chronic schizophrenic patients have a blood-lipid metabolic disorder by long-term intake of phenothiazine drugs. It is suggested that the traditional treatment with antipsychotic should reformed, and that drugs of degrading lipid and coagulation should be used to prevent and reduce the risk factors causing the onset of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and delay the development of the disturbance of intelligence and dementia.