We attempted to identify the difference of the immune function in schizophrenia and major depressive disorder to compare is relationship with several variables such as symptom severity, diagnostic subtype, and number of admission by measuring the
serum
immunoglobulin and total hemolytic complement activity.
Fifteen schizophrenics and 15 major depressive disorder patients were studied and 16 healthy young adults were recruited as control. Schizophrenics and major depressive disorder patients had undergone a two week drug-free period before the study.
There
was no statistical difference of age and sex between patients and control subjects.
@ES The results of this study were as follows:
@EN 1) Humoral immune parameters of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder patients group were not different from those of normal control group. The trend for increase Ig A, M and decreased Ig G found in both patient groups, while the trend
for
decreased CH50 in schizophrenics and increased CH50 in major depressive disorder patients was found.
2) Firsty-admitted depressed patients showed significantly increased IgA compared to the control group, while firstly-admitted schizophrenics showed significantly increased Ig A and Ig M concentration compared to the control group.
3) The depressed patient, whose symptoms were less sever in HDRS score, showed significantly increased Ig A compared to the control group. On the other hand, positive schizophrenics showed significantly increased Ig M compared to the control
group.
In conclusion, these findings suggest changes of humoral immunity in the major mental illnesses are epiphenomenon induced by stress or secondary reaction dependent upon the disease process. Since many factors are involved in the changes of immune
function induced by stress, further integrated research for relationship of stress, human behavior, immune system and neuroendocrine system will be needed. Also more specific parameters of immune function for the homogeneous patients group will
be
required to assess some identified changes of the immune system in major mental illnesses.
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