Anti-ribosomal P antibody in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND

A series of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory findings suggest an autoimmune process in schizophrenia and include, among others, high titers of various autoantibodies in the sera of patients. Antiribosomal P antibody is known to exist in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with a psychiatric presentation, including psychosis, rationalizing the examination of its existence in patients with schizophrenia.

METHODS

Sera of 59 patients, 48 diagnosed with schizophrenia and 11 diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder, were examined for the presence of antiribosomal P antibody titers using ELISA. The control group consisted of 94 healthy subjects with similar age and gender distribution.

RESULTS

Anti-ribosomal P antibody titers were below cut-off level in 58 patients and borderline in one patient, similar to the low titers of the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous investigations have demonstrated high specificity for anti-ribosomal P antibody in SLE patients with psychosis. In view of the results of this study, however, anti-ribosomal P antibody is not a biological marker for schizophrenia.