title: Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with schizophrenia, unipolar depression and bipolar disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  C-reactive protein (CRP) is the major acute-phase plasma protein. Studies show that patients with various mental disorders have elevated levels of CRP. The aim of the study was to determine differences in CRP serum level in patients with acute schizophrenia, unipolar depression, bipolar depression and bipolar mania.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum level of CRP was measured in 950 Caucasian inpatients (589 women, 62.0%; mean age 50.3 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean concentration of CRP in study groups was: schizophrenia (n = 485) 5.30 mg/l, unipolar depression (n = 319) 5.61 mg/l, bipolar disorder (n = 146) 4.65 mg/l, bipolar depression (n = 114) 3.82 mg/l and bipolar mania (n = 32) 7.36 mg/l. There was no difference for CRP levels between patients with schizophrenia, unipolar depression, bipolar depression and bipolar mania (P = 0.58). The overall rate of being above the high level of CRP (set at 3.0 mg/l) was 35.7% for schizophrenia, 38.6% for unipolar depression, 40.4% for bipolar disorder, 40.4% for bipolar depression and 40.6% for bipolar mania. There were no significant differences in the risk of having high level of CRP between the clinical groups. The rate of patients being above high level was higher in women. We also found that in whole study group CRP level was positively correlated with age (P = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there is no statistically significant difference in CRP serum level between patients with schizophrenia, unipolar depression, bipolar depression and bipolar mania, our results show that more than one-third (37.4%) of all subjects had CRP level > 3 mg/l, which is the cut-off point for high cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Adam Wysokiński M.D. Ph.D., Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz , Lodz , Poland.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wysokiński
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Margulska
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Strzelecki
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kłoszewska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000097:blood*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Bipolar disorder; C-reactive protein; CRP; Depression; Mania; Schizophrenia