2011 Volume 8 Pages 43-46
Background : Cardiovascular mortality is significantly increased on patients suffering from schizo- phrenia. The different factors related to the underlying pathology, antipsychotic medications and life style (e.g., reduced physical activity, smoking, general neglect of health, poor diet and decreased access to health care service) may contribute to the increased mortality in these patients. Heart rate variability provides reliable tools to assess the integrity and reactivity of autonomic nervous system activity. The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in regulating energy expenditure and body fat content, however, autonomic nervous system abnormality in schizophrenia is still a matter of debate. The present study investigates whether the sympathetic and/or parasympathetic nervous system activities is altered in schizophrenia with dyslipidemia.
Methods : One-hundred nineteen schizophrenic inpatients participated in this study. Autonomic nervous system activity was evaluated by heart rate variability power spectral analysis during the resting condition. We also measured anthropometric parameters and biochemical blood profiles for lipid metabolism. Body Mass Index was calculated as body mass divided by square height. The patients were categorized in two groups, fall under the category of dyslipidemia ; and non-dyslipidemia or Control groups.
Results : Body mass(62.4±2.0 vs, 57.2±1.1 kg, p=0.015)and Body Mass Index(24.1±0.5 vs. 22.2±0.4, p=0.015)were significantly greater in the dyslipidemia than in the control group. In addition, interest- ingly, the dyslipidemia group demonstrated a significantly lower Total Power (108.2±21.9 vs. 214.6 ±46.6 ms2, p=0.041), Low-frequency Power(54.6±10.3 vs. 130.0±35.7 ms2, p=0.045)compared with the non-dyslipidemia group.
Discussion : Our data indicate that the dyslipidemia group possesses reduced autonomic, especially sympathetic nervous system activity. Because the autonomic nervous system is involved in nearly every important homeostatic process going on within the body, the suppression of autonomic functioning can cause far-reaching adverse effects, including metabolic disorders and cardiovascular malfunction. This result implies that preventing and caring obesity in schizophrenia could be an urgent and crucial psychiatric health issue.
