title: Cold agglutinin autoantibodies in psychiatric patients: their relation to diagnosis and pharmacological treatment.
abstract: METHODS
  The purpose of this study was to compare titers of cold agglutinins in schizophrenic patients with those in patients with major affective disorders and in normal healthy subjects. One hundred sixty-six psychiatric patients and 37 healthy comparison subjects were included in the study. Ninety of the patients suffered from schizophrenia, 54 from bipolar disorder, and 22 from major depression. Venous blood samples were obtained from all subjects between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. and were immediately tested for cold agglutinin titers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A high frequency (42.2%) of positive cold agglutinin titers was detected in the schizophrenic patients, compared with the bipolar (11.1%) and unipolar (9.0%) patients and the comparison group (8.1%). The investigators did not find any pharmacological effect on these results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that, at least in this group, positive cold agglutinin titers are associated with schizophrenia. However, this observation cannot provide direct evidence for the involvement of viral or autoimmune factors in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Geha Psychiatric Hospital, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spivak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radwan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brandon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molcho
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ohring
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tyano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weizman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000373:Agglutinins / Q000032:analysis*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D003450:Cryoglobulins; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016651:Lithium Carbonate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000373:Agglutinins; D001323:Autoantibodies; D003450:Cryoglobulins; C029443:cold agglutinins; D016651:Lithium Carbonate; D008094:Lithium; D006220:Haloperidol