title: High ceruloplasmin levels are associated with obsessive compulsive disorder: a case control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alterations in ceruloplasmin are currently assumed as one of the mechanisms underlying the development of a number of neurodegenerative disorders. Several studies indicate that elevated serum ceruloplasmin levels may play a role in schizophrenia by exacerbating or perpetuating dopaminergic dysregulation. No study investigating the relationship between ceruloplasmin and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been published to date. Nowadays OCD is increasingly speculated to be a different disorder than other anxiety disorders, and rather is considered to be more similar to psychotic disorders. The objective of this study to explore whether there is an association of ceruloplasmin with OCD as in schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  26 pure OCD and 9 co-morbid OCD patients from Gaziantep University Sahinbey Research Hospital, Psychiatry Clinics, diagnosed according to the DSM IV and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. Blood samples were collected; ceruloplasmin levels were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ceruloplasmin level in pure OCD patients, co-morbid OCD patients, and control group persons were 544.46 +/- 26.53, 424.43 +/- 31.50 and 222.35 +/- 8.88 U/L respectively. Results of all 3 groups differ significantly. Positive predictive value of ceruloplasmin for that cut-off point is 31/31 (100%) and negative predictive value is 40/44 (91%) in our group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the nature of relationship is not clear there was an association between ceruloplasmin levels and OCD in our study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kahramanmaras State Hospital, Kahramanmaras, Turkey. drselek@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Virit
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selek
authors.forename: Mahmut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bulut
authors.forename: Haluk Asuman
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Savas
authors.forename: Hakim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Ozcan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Erel
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Herken