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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Schizophrenia
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1520279

Sex differences in the association between metabolic disorder and inflammatory cytokines in Han Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia

Provisionally accepted
Yinghan Tian Yinghan Tian 1Zhenkuo Li Zhenkuo Li 2Yun Zhang Yun Zhang 1Pei Tang Pei Tang 1Yu Zhuang Yu Zhuang 1Lewei Liu Lewei Liu 1Haojie Fan Haojie Fan 1Xianhu Yao Xianhu Yao 3Wenzheng Li Wenzheng Li 4Lei Xia Lei Xia 1Huanzhong Liu Huanzhong Liu 1*
  • 1 Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Chaohu, China
  • 2 Department of Psychiatry, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Xiangtan City, Xiangtan, China
  • 3 Department of Psychiatry, Ma'anshan Fourth People’s Hospital, Maanshan, Anhui Province, China
  • 4 Hefei Fourth People's Hospital, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Previous evidence suggests that immune-inflammatory dysfunction plays an important role in metabolic disorder (MD) of patients with schizophrenia, yet studies on sex differences in the association between both are limited. The current study aimed to investigate sex differences in the association between MD and inflammatory cytokines in Han Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia (CS). Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted in one general hospital and two psychiatric hospitals in Anhui Province, China. General information, metabolic parameters and inflammatory cytokine indicators were collected from all participants, and the severity of their psychiatric symptoms was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results: A total of 324 patients completed the assessment and were included in this study. The patients with MD had higher age and duration of illness, and lower chlorpromazine equivalents and negative symptom score than those without MD. Binary logistic regression showed that MD was significantly associated with a higher IL-1β level in male patients, while this association was not significant in females. Further multiple linear regression revealed that IL-1β level was negatively correlated with polypharmacy only in male patients. Conclusion: Sex differences in the association between MD and IL-1β level are significant in patients with CS, and only in male patients is there a negative correlation between MD and IL-1β level. Sex-specific prevention and intervention strategies may contribute to reducing MD in patients with CS.

    Keywords: Metabolic disorder, inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, Schizophrenia, sex differences

    Received: 31 Oct 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tian, Li, Zhang, Tang, Zhuang, Liu, Fan, Yao, Li, Xia and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Huanzhong Liu, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Chaohu, China

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