Association between depressive symptoms, CRP and metabolism-related indicators in Han Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia

AI Summary

Depressive symptoms were present in 26.2% of Han Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia.
Higher total PANSS score, greater insomnia severity (ISI) and elevated plasma CRP were independently associated with depressive symptoms.
Integration of total PANSS, ISI, RSESE total score and CRP showed superior discrimination for depressive symptoms, AUC 0.790 (95% CI 0.734-0.847).

AI Summary

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Han Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia and to investigate their associations with clinical features, metabolic parameters, and inflammatory biomarkers.

Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between depressive symptoms and clinical symptoms, CRP, and metabolism-related indicators.

Furthermore, ROC curve analysis illustrated that the integration of total PANSS score, ISI score, RSESE total score and CRP (AUC = 0.790, 95% CI = 0.734-0.847, P < 0.001) exhibited superior discriminative capacity for identifying depressive symptoms.

Basic summary

Schizophr Res. 2026 Jul 25;297:26-36. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.022. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among patients with chronic schizophrenia, yet their pathological mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Han Chinese patients with chronic schizophrenia and to investigate their associations with clinical features, metabolic parameters, and inflammatory biomarkers.

METHODS: A total of 305 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 182 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Clinical symptoms were assessed using a series of standardized scales including the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). Meanwhile, plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and metabolism-related indicators were measured in all participants. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between depressive symptoms and clinical symptoms, CRP, and metabolism-related indicators. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was adopted to evaluate the predictive performance of independent risk factors for depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among patients with chronic schizophrenia was 26.2%. The total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score, and CRP were independent risk factors for depressive symptoms in this patient cohort. Furthermore, ROC curve analysis illustrated that the integration of total PANSS score, ISI score, RSESE total score and CRP (AUC = 0.790, 95% CI = 0.734-0.847, P < 0.001) exhibited superior discriminative capacity for identifying depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms affect over one-quarter of Han Chinese patients with chronic-course schizophrenia. Moreover, their occurrence may be significantly associated with psychotic symptoms, insomnia, extrapyramidal side effects, and elevated concentrations of CRP and metabolic biomarkers.

PMID:42501708 | DOI:10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.022

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