Birth weight, leptin and adiponectin in patients initiating clozapine

TL;DR

The study explores how birth weight and sex influence leptin and adiponectin levels in patients starting clozapine treatment for psychosis.

Contribution

The study reveals sex-specific associations between birth weight and neurohormone levels during clozapine treatment.

Findings

Leptin levels were inversely correlated with birth weight only in female patients.

Adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with birth weight in male patients.

No association was found between insulin levels and birth weight.

Abstract

Psychotic patients often require pharmacological treatment, which may prove ineffective, leading to treatment-resistant psychosis necessitating the use of clozapine. However, the emergence of side effects can result in discontinuation, potentially triggering a relapse of psychotic symptoms. One significant side effect is antipsychotic-induced weight gain which, over time, can lead to adverse metabolic events. Recent translational research is evaluating the impact of prenatal factors on the metabolic outcomes of psychotic patients, using a surrogate marker of the intrauterine milieu such as birth weight (BW).

We aim to evaluate the changes in leptin, adiponectin, and insulin levels in patients with treatment-resistant psychosis who initiate clozapine treatment due to persistent psychotic symptoms.

Subjects older than 18 years with a diagnostic of a major mental disorder and initiating clozapine were enrolled in this 18-months longitudinal study. Neurohormones levels, including leptin, adiponeptin, and insulin were measured at baseline, 8 and 18 months during follow-up. Statistical analysis were conducted by using a fixed-effects model.

A total of 23 subjects initiating clozapine were evaluated during the initial mandatory 18-week period. Neurohormones, specifically leptin and adiponectin, were measured at three time points: baseline, 8 weeks, and 18 weeks. The changes in leptin levels were significantly associated with birth BW with sex differences, being inversely correlated only in females. Adiponectin was significantly associated with BW, being inversely correlated in males. Conversely, there was no observed association between insulin levels and BW.

Our findings highlight the significance of prenatal factors in influencing the subsequent evolution of neurohormones in individuals initiating clozapine treatment. This suggests that subjects with lower BW tend to exhibit elevated neurohormone values, emphasizing the role of prenatal events in this context.

None Declared