HIGH PREVALENCE OF THYROID-FUNCTION TEST ABNORMALITIES IN CHRONIC-SCHIZOPHRENIA

The thyroid status of 249 patients with chronic schizophrenia (males = 136, females = 113) with a median age of 36 years (range: 16 to 58 ye ars) and a median duration of hospitalisation of 10 years (range: 1 to 30 years) was assessed. Thyroid antibodies (TAb) were found in 51 pat ients (20%). In female patients, 32 (28%) were TAb positive compared t o 13% (n=152, p=0.01) in healthy female blood donors. In male patients , the prevalence of TAb was 14% compared to 7% (n=449, p=0.01) in heal thy male blood donors. Of the 183 patients who had thyroid hormone mea surements, 60% had normal test, 5% had elevated TSH and 17% had low TS H. The T4, FT41 and FT31 were significantly lower in those with low or high TSH (p<0.001) compared to those with normal TSH. Of the 143 pati ents with normal TSH, 33 (23%) had low T3. In conclusion, there is a s pectrum of thyroid function test abnormalities in chronic schizophreni a; this may be related to an abnormality in the central regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary thyroid axis as well as at the peripheral le vel. However the association between chronic schizophrenia and the pre sence of thyroid antibodies, and the clinical relevance of these bioch emical abnormalities, are still not clear.