Decreased serum albumin levels in Taiwanese patients with schizophrenia

Previous papers have reported lower serum albumin levels in patients with schizophrenia. In the present study, the relationships between serum albumin levels and subtypes of schizophrenia, physical violence and suicide attempts were investigated. A review of medical charts over a 1-year period was carried out in a population of 213 Taiwanese psychiatric inpatients that included 106 patients with schizophrenia. The collected data included age, bodyweight, height, serum albumin levels and routine blood biochemistry examinations. These data were compared with data from a healthy control group (n=32) composed of staff members using analysis of covariance after age adjustment. The statistical results showed significantly lower serum albumin levels in patients with schizophrenia in the acute phase than in the control group. However, no significant differences in serum albumin levels were found between paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenic patients, between patients who had or had not exhibited physical violence, or between patients who had or had not made a suicide attempt.