Serum iron in catatonic and noncatatonic psychotic patients.
BACKGROUND
Since low serum iron has been reported in a variety of neuropsychiatric motor disorders, this study was conducted to examine serum iron in patients with a catatonic disorder.


METHODS
Forty catatonic and 40 noncatatonic psychotic patients were studied in relation to serum iron levels. The association of serum iron with other clinical variables was also examined.


RESULTS
Catatonics had significantly lower mean serum iron than noncatatonics. Ferropenia (serum iron < 50 micrograms/dL) was significantly more prevalent in the catatonic (35%) than in the noncatatonic (7.5%) group. Severity of catatonic symptoms was inversely correlated with level of serum iron, this being due to the negative catatonic symptoms (r = -.34, p = .002).


CONCLUSIONS
A subgroup of catatonic patients had ferropenia. Lower serum iron level was associated with both the presence of a categorically defined catatonic syndrome and the severity of the negative catatonic symptoms.
Peralta
V
V
Psychiatric Unit, Virgen del Camino Hospital, Pamplona, Spain.
Cuesta
M J
MJ
Mata
I
I
Serrano
J F
JF
Perez-Nievas
F
F
Natividad
M C
MC
D000328:Adult; D002389:Catatonia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D007501:Iron