Relationship between Serum Lipids and Psychiatric Symptoms

Hong, Hyun Ju; Min, Sung Kil; Koh, Kyung Bong; Kim, Jeong Ho

Abstract

OBJECT: Many studies found that psychological stress produced significant increases in cholesterol concentration. But recent study results suggested that lowering cholesterol increased non-illness mortality. Suicide rate were higher in low cholesterol groups. Also, depression and violence were related to low cholesterol. It is the purpose of this study to determine which psychiatric symptoms are correlated with serum concentration of cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-C. METHOD: The subjects we included were 61 neurotic outpatients. Their psychiatric symptoms were assessed with SCL-90-R and additional symptoms check list and the results of their fasting serum concentration of cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-C were obtained. The correlation between serum concentration of lipids and psychiatric symptoms were analyzed using Pearson's correlation test.
RESULTS
The result showed significant positive correlation between somatization symptom dimension and serum cholesterol concentration. Serum cholesterol concentration were also negatively correlated with suppressed emotion of anger Serum concentration of triglyceride and HDL-C were not correlated with any symptom dimensions of SCL-90-R.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that somatization symptoms have some relationship with serum cholesterol and the role of cholesterol in psychiatric symptoms need to be included in future study.