Efficacy of aripiprazole combined with olanzapine for hospitalized male patients with schizophrenia and its effect on metabolic syndrome

Abstract

BackgroundSchizophrenia and the use of antipsychotic medications are identified to be the likely contributors to the development of metabolic syndrome （MS） and cardiovascular disease， and jeopardize the prognosis of schizophrenia. Therefore， effectively preventing or reducing the risk of developing MS in patients with schizophrenia is critical.ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy of aripiprazole combined with olanzapine for male schizophrenia patients and its effect on MS， so as to provide a certain reference for the selection of antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia patients.MethodsMale patients （n=80） who were hospitalized in The Third People's Hospital of Meizhou from February to June 2023 and fulfilling the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） diagnostic criteria for the schizophrenia were enrolled， and grouped using random number table method， each with 40 cases. Study group was treated with aripiprazole combined with olanzapine， while control group was given aripiprazole monotherapy. The treatment lasted for 6 continuous weeks in both groups. At the baseline， Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS） score， MS-related indices ［fasting plasma glucose （FPG）， hemoglobin A1c （HbA1c）， body mass index （BMI）， waist-to-hip ratio （WHR）， lipid profile］， S100 calcium-binding protein B （S100B） and high sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP） were recorded. Then the PANSS scores at the end of the 2nd， 4th and 6th week of treatment， the Clinical Global Impression （CGI） scores at the end of the 2nd and 6th week of treatment， as well as the MS-related indices， S100B， hs-CRP， Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale （TESS） score and Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects （RSESE） score at the end of the 6th week of treatment were recorded in all participants.ResultsAnalysis on PANSS score revealed a significant group effect， time effect and group×time interaction effect （F=18.092， 634.780， 2.917， P<0.05 or 0.01）. Analysis on CGI score revealed a significant group effect and time effect （F=20.492， 99.190， P<0.01）. At the end of the 6th week of treatment， study group detected lower serum concentrations of HbA1c and triglyceride （TG） compared with control group （t=-3.495， -3.293， P<0.05）. The post-treatment hs-CRP level was lower in study group than that in control group （t=-3.916， P<0.05）. Study group scored lower on TESS compared with control group （t=-4.684， P<0.01）.ConclusionAripiprazole combined with olanzapine can effectively alleviate psychotic states in male schizophrenia patients， and the combination therapy yields less impact on MS-related indices than olanzapine monotherapy. ［Funded by Meizhou Science and Technology Plan Project （number， 2022B116）］

Keywords

• schizophrenia
• male
• aripiprazole
• olanzapine
• metabolic syndrome