Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by a deficit of typical emotional response accompanied by significant social and/ or occupational dysfunction. This condition plus the administration of antipsychotic medications has been associated with dyslipidaemia in previous studies, some of which presented a conflicting argument. To determine any link, if any, between the development of dyslipidaemia among schizophrenics on medications. Total of 24 schizophrenics on typical antipsychotic medications, 24 schizophrenics not on any medication and 24 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Fasting plasma total cholesterol (CHOL), triglyceride (TG), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were estimated. While plasma TG and VLDL concentrations were significantly elevated among medicated schizophrenic patients (p< 0.01) compared to the control. Similarly, plasma TG and VLDL concentrations were significantly elevated among medicated schizophrenic patients (p< 0.01) compared to the non medicated schizophrenic patients. It is likely that antipsychotic agents promote the elevation of TG and VLDL- Cholesterol profiles; however, these elevations are not likely to trigger coronary heart disease (CHD).
