Assessment of Serum 25-OH Vitamin D Levels in Patients with Schizophrenia and Comparing With Healthy Controls

Dr. Varun Arora, Dr. Nilesh Naphade

Abstract: Background: Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric disorder characterised by positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. A cohort study of 33, 000 women from the general population in Sweden showed that Vitamin-D intake was associated with a significantly decreased relative risk of psychotic-like symptoms. [1] Aim: To assess serum 25-OH Vitamin D levels in patients with Schizophrenia and compare with healthy controls. Material and Methods: This research study consisted of 30 patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia as per International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10 DCR) Diagnostic Criteria for Research and a sample of 30 healthy controls were taken who did not have any medical or psychiatric illness. Severity of symptoms was assessed using CGI-S scale. Results: Out of 30 schizophrenia patients, 28 patients were found to have subnormal 25-OH Vitamin D levels, as compared to 13 healthy controls, who were found to have subnormal 25-OH Vitamin D levels.

Keywords: 25-OH Vitamin D, Schizophrenia, CGI-S, Hypovitaminosis