Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the effect of olanzapine therapy on serum immunoglobulin
levels (IgA, IgG, IgM) in male schizophrenic patients after 2 months of treatment by
olanzapine at a daily dose of 20 mg.
Patients and Methods: Twenty-eight patients with schizophrenia were included in
this study, assessment of each case was done by a psychiatric, also included a 30
healthy subjects as a control group. Serum immunoglobulin concentrations were
determined for both patients and controls by Mancini Radial Immuno-diffusion
method using immunoglobulin kits. For the patients group and after 2 months therapy
with olanzapine at a fixed daily dose of 20 mg, serum immunoglobulins were
determined again using the same method for the assay.
Results: No significant difference was found between serum levels of
immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, IgM) in schizophrenic patients before therapy in
comparison to controls. Also insignificant difference was found between serum
immunoglobulin levels (IgA, IgG, IgM) in schizophrenic patients after 2 months of
olanzapine therapy and the controls. By comparing serum immunoglobulin levels in
patients with schizophrenia before and 2 months after starting olanzapine therapy, no
statistically significant difference was found.
Conclusion: Olanzapine as atypical antipsychotic may not have an influence on the
humoral immune response as reflected by the immunoglobulin levels (IgA, IgG, IgM)
