Correlation Between Vitamin D Levels and Schizophrenia and Its Symptom Profile: A Hospital Based Case-Control Study
TL;DR
Low blood vitamin D is linked to schizophrenia and corresponds with overall symptom severity and positive symptom load, but not with negative or general psychopathology symptoms.
Abstract
Background: Vitamin D is a Neurosteroid hormone that plays a role in neuroprotection, neurotransmitter modulation, and neurodevelopment. The pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the intensity of related psychotic symptoms have been linked to its insufficiency. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate blood vitamin D levels between individuals with schizophrenia and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Additionally, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) will be used to correlate vitamin D status with symptom profile. Materials and Methods: At a tertiary care teaching hospital in Tamil Nadu, India, this hospital based case-control study recruited 30 drug-naive patients with schizophrenia (diagnosed according to ICD-10 criteria) and 30 healthy, age- and sex-matched controls between the ages of 25 and 40 over the course of a year. Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) was used to measure the amount of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in fasting serum. PANSS was used to gauge the severity of the symptoms. For statistical analysis, the chi-square test, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation were employed. Results: Compared to controls (19.57 ± 5.46 ng/mL; t = 4.01, p = 0.001), the mean blood vitamin D was considerably lower in cases (14.13 ± 5.03 ng/mL). Compared to 40.0% of controls, 83.3% of patients had inadequate or deficient vitamin D status (χ² = 12.08, p = 0.002). Positive PANSS scores (r = −0.465, p = 0.010) and total PANSS scores (r = −0.506, p = 0.001) were significantly and negatively linked with vitamin D levels, but not negative PANSS (r = −0.329, p = 0.076) or general psychopathology scores (r = −0.006, p = 0.976). Conclusion: In this cohort, low blood vitamin D is linked to schizophrenia and corresponds with overall symptom severity and positive symptom load, but not with negative or general psychopathology symptoms. Patients with schizophrenia may benefit from routine metabolic evaluations that include vitamin D assessments, and treating deficiencies may help manage symptoms.