title: Spectrum of autoantibodies in Tunisian psychiatric inpatients.
abstract: One hundred and three psychiatric inpatients (74 men) were assessed for a wide spectrum of autoantibodies including antinuclear, antismooth muscle, antimitochondrial, antiDNA, anti-phospholipid, anti-cardiolipin IgG and IgM, antikeratin, rheumatoid factor, antithyroperoxydase, antigliadin IgA and IgG, antitransgutaminase, and antiendomysium antibodies. Four groups of patients were considered separately, including 47 with schizophrenia, 23 with schizoaffective disorder, 16 with bipolar disorder and 17 patients with other different psychiatric diagnosis. Forty one healthy, age- and sex-matched blood donors were used as a control group. There were no significant difference in the prevalence of the different autoantibodies between patients (N = 103) and controls except for antigliadin IgG (30.1 vs 9.8 respectively, p = 0.01). Presence of autoantibodies was influenced by age but not by sex or treatment. As for diagnosis categories, patients with bipolar disorder presented significantly more autoantibodies than the three other categories and controls. These results point out a possible autoimmune activation in at least a subgroup of psychiatric patients especially amongst those suffering from bipolar disorder.
authors.affiliation: Research unit 03/04 Schizophrenias, Department of Psychiatry F, Al Razi Mental Health Hospital, Mannouba, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Oussama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sidhom
authors.forename: Lilia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laadhar
authors.forename: Mondher
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zitouni
authors.forename: Nissaf
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben Alaya
authors.forename: Rym
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rafrafi
authors.forename: Marayam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kallel-Sellami
authors.forename: Houria
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lahmar
authors.forename: Zouhair
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: El Hechmi
authors.forename: Sondes
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Makni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007136:Immunoglobulins