PLASMA-LEVELS OF CYTOKINES AND SOLUBLE CYTOKINE RECEPTORS DURING TREATMENT WITH HALOPERIDOL

Objective: Clozapine increases the levels of cytokines and soluble cyt okine receptors. The authors investigated whether haloperidol has simi lar effects. Method: Rectal temperature, white blood cell counts, and plasma levels of cytokines and soluble cytokine receptors were assesse d before and during 6 weeks of haloperidol treatment in 10 psychiatric patients. Results: Haloperidol at mean doses of 7.0 mg/day (SD = 3.4) , 6.9 mg/day (SD = 3.4), and 5.0 mg/day (SD = 3.1) at the end of the 1 st, 2nd, and 6th weeks of treatment, respectively, did not affect rect al temperature, white blood cell counts, or plasma level of interleuki n-l receptor antagonist, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (T NF-alpha), soluble TNF receptor p55 or p75, or soluble interleukin-2 r eceptor. Conclusions: Haloperidol is unlikely to confound the results of studies investigating disease-related alterations In the levels of a broad range of cytokines and soluble cytokine receptors in schizophr enia.