Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:192-197
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Serum creatine phosphokinase in schizophrenia
HY Meltzer
The author notes that increased serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activity
is found in the majority of hospitalized acutely disturbed schizophrenics
and patients with affective psychoses. It is probable that some of these
increases do not result from nonspecific factors such as activity, trauma,
or stress, which do cause increases in some cases. Those patients who show
increased CPK activity have more florid psychopathology and tend to have
higher CPK levels in nonacute periods than those without increases.
First-degree relatives of psychotic patients with elevated serum CPK have
high-normal or slightly increased serum CPK. There is also evidence of
other neuromuscular dysfunction in psychotic patients. The author concludes
that the investigation of CPK may have considerable heuristic value for the
study of schizophrenia and other psychoses.
