Serum Progesterone and Testosterone Levels in Schizophrenia Patients at Different Stages of Treatment
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Serum Progesterone and Testosterone Levels in Schizophrenia Patients at Different Stages of Treatment Wei Huang1 · Yong‑Hang Li1 · Shi‑Qing Huang1 · Hui Chen1 · Zai‑Fang Li1 · Xi‑Xi Li2 · Xue‑Song Li1 · Yong Cheng1,2 Received: 4 September 2020 / Accepted: 19 October 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract It has been suggested that dysregulation of hormones is associated with schizophrenia (SCZ). This study aimed to measure the serum levels of progesterone and testosterone in 125 SCZ patients at different stages of treatment and 96 healthy control (HC) subjects. Our results showed that first-episode drug-free SCZ patients had significantly increased testosterone levels when compared with HC subjects, and chronic medication, but not short-term medication, further increased the serum testosterone levels in the patients. Further analysis suggested that the sex of the patients did not affect testosterone levels. In contrast, serum progesterone levels did not show significant differences between first-episode, drug-free SCZ patients and controls, and the antipsychotics increased progesterone levels in the male SCZ patients, but not female patients. Interestingly, our analyses demonstrated that the serum progesterone levels were negatively correlated with PANSS total score and PNASS positive score, suggesting a correlation between blood hormone levels and disease severity in SCZ patients. Taken together, our data showed differential changes in serum testosterone and progesterone levels in SCZ patients with or without antipsychotics, and our results suggest that increased sex hormone levels may be a defensive response to protect the human body under stress. Keywords Schizophrenia · Progesterone · Testosterone · Defense mechanism · Antipsychotics
Introduction Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a serious mental illness with an unclear etiology, and approximately 1% of the world’s population is suffering from SCZ (Sun et al. 2016). SCZ is mainly seen in late adolescence and young adulthood with positive symptoms and negative symptoms. It also causes many difficulties, such as sensory, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral challenges, as well as lack of coordination of mental activities (Compton et al. 1991; Potkin et al. 2003). In general, the patient’s level of consciousness is unaffected, although some patients suffer cognitive impairments during the course of * Xue‑Song Li [email protected] * Yong Cheng [email protected] 1
The Third People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, China
Center on Translational Neuroscience, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
2
their illness, and episodes can be repeated or exacerbated. Symptoms vary greatly among individuals, even the same patient may show different symptoms at different stages of the disease (Buoli et al. 2012). Testosterone is a steroid hormone secreted by the male testis and female ovary (and also by the adrenal glands in small quantities). It is regulated by the hypothala
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