RELATIONSHIP OF GENDER AND MENSTRUAL STATUS TO SYMPTOMS AND MEDICATION SIDE-EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenic outpatients (62 females, 59 males) were evaluated to exa mine the relationships between menstrual status, gender, clinical meas ures of psychopathology and drug side effects. Menstrual status was de termined for 55 female patients. Blood from 44 female subjects, drawn before the AM dose of neuroleptic, was assayed for prolactin concentra tions. In 27 premenopausal women (age < 45 years), six (22%) reported irregular menses and one (4%) reported amenorrhea. Women with irregula r menses did not differ in their prolactin levels or neuroleptic dose, from women with regular menses. Amenorrheic women (n = 22) were signi ficantly older than men (n = 59) and menstruating women (n = 33). Afte r controlling for age, menstruating women did not differ in clinical m easures of psychopathology, drug side effects, or neuroleptic dose com pared to amenorrheic women or men. Comparison of 15 age-matched pairs of menstruating females and amenorrheic females revealed significantly lower levels of akathisia and depression in the menstruating group an d a trend towards lower serum prolactin concentrations (P = 0.08). In female subjects, prolactin levels correlated significantly with neurol eptic dose (r = 0.36, P < 0.005). Our results only partially support h ypothesized relationships between menstrual status, prolactin levels a nd neuroleptic effects and serve to emphasize the importance of contro lling for age when comparing these clinical variables. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science Ireland Ltd.