title: Abnormal diurnal weight gain in chronic psychosis without seasonal change.
abstract: We found diurnal weight gain to be abnormal in chronic psychosis. Nineteen chronically psychotic patients were weighed daily at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. for 1 year. We normalized the diurnal weight gain (NDWG) as a percentage by subtracting the 7 a.m. weight from the 4 p.m. weight, multiplying the difference by 100, and then dividing the result by the 7 a.m. weight. NDWG was 2.714 +/- 0.824% for the 19 study patients, 0.631 +/- 0.405% for 16 acutely psychotic controls and 0.511 +/- 0.351% for 29 normals. All the study patients had NDWG values above the upper limit of normal. There were no seasonal differences (p less than 0.0001) in NDWG of the study sample. Sex, diagnoses, vital signs, and drugs did not explain our findings.
authors.affiliation: Western State Hospital, Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Commonwealth of Virginia.
authors.forename: W V
authors.initials: WV
authors.lastname: Vieweg
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Godleski
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Pavalonis
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Hundley
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Yank
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D011674:Pulse; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012621:Seasons; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance; D015430:Weight Gain