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. 2025 Jan 19;15(1):100880.
doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i1.100880.

Correlation analyse between thyroid hormone levels and severity of schizophrenia symptoms

Qi-Hui Jiang  1 , Wei-Dong Gong  2
Affiliations

Correlation analyse between thyroid hormone levels and severity of schizophrenia symptoms

Qi-Hui Jiang et al. World J Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The imbalance of hormone levels in the body is closely related to the occurrence and progression of schizophrenia, especially thyroid hormones.

Aim: To study the relationship between triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and schizophrenia.

Methods: In this study, 100 schizophrenia patients were selected from our hospital between April 2022 and April 2024. Their clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. Based on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score, patients were divided into mild (1-3 points, n = 39), moderate (4 points, n = 45), and severe groups (5-7 points, n = 16). Additionally, 55 healthy individuals served as a control group. Venous blood samples were collected to measure T3, T4, FT3, FT4, TSH, and cortisol concentrations, analyzing their relationship with PANSS scores.

Results: The serum levels of T3, FT3, FT4, TSH and cortisol in the schizophrenia group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). With the increase of the severity of the disease, the concentrations of T3 and T4 decreased, while the concentrations of TSH and cortisol increased (P < 0.05). The concentrations of TSH and cortisol were positively correlated with the PANSS score, while T3 and T4 were negatively correlated with the PANSS score (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve results showed that T3, T4, TSH, and cortisol had good efficacy in the diagnosis of schizophrenia. Logistic results showed that decreased T3 level, decreased T4 level, decreased TSH level and increased cortisol level may be independent risk factors for schizophrenia.

Conclusion: Thyroid hormone levels are associated with the severity of schizophrenia symptoms, which can provide new solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia.

Keywords: Cortisol; Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale score; Schizophrenia; Symptom severity; Thyroid hormone.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The calculation formula.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Receiver operating characteristic curve analyse of relevant factors. T3: Triiodothyronine; T4: Thyroxine; FT3: Free triiodothyronine; FT4: Free thyroxine; TSH: Thyroid stimulating hormone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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