Folic acid, vitamin B12 and homocysteine levels following olanzapine administration in schizophrenia patients

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of folic acid, vitamin B₁₂ and homocysteine in the serum of schizophrenia patients (n=20) and to evaluate the effect of olanzapine on these biomarkers. The blood was also collected from the 10 healthy volunteers as control. Compared to control, the serum folic acid (p=0.005) and vitamin B₁₂ levels (p=0.211) were higher in the schizophrenia patients, whereas no difference was evident in the serum homocysteine level. But significantly higher levels of serum folic acid (p=0.005), vitamin B₁₂ (p=0.047) and significantly lower level of serum homocysteine (p=0.000) were observed after 10 weeks of olanzapine administration. BPRS score was reduced significantly after intervention. The Pearson correlation coefficient test showed a statistically not significant negative relationship between the serum folate, vitamin B₁₂ and homocysteine levels. In conclusion, olanzapine can significantly elevate the  serum folic acid and vitamin B₁₂ levels whereas it can lower the serum homocysteine level which may contribute to the improvement of symptoms of schizophrenia.