Comparison between Interleukin-2 Serum Levels and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale Scores of Schizophrenia Patients that Received Haloperidol with Risperidone Therapy

BACKGROUND: There is a possibility of interleukin-2 (IL-2) being involved in the pathophysiology of Schizophrenia.
The increase of IL-2 levels has been discovered in the serum of schizophrenic patients in earlier studies. An amount
of antipsychotic has been associated with the decrease of IL-2.
AIM: Therefore, this study was intended to compare the serum IL-2 levels of schizophrenic patients who received
Haloperidol therapy with patients who received Risperidone as well as examine the relationship between serum IL-2
levels with the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) score of schizophrenic patients receiving Haloperidol
and Risperidone therapy.
METHODS: This study is an observational study with a prospective cohort design consisting of 36 patients who have
met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition criteria for Schizophrenic patients who did
not take antipsychotic drugs for 2 weeks and were hospitalized at the Special Hospital of South Sulawesi Province.
Afterwards, the patients were grouped into two groups, where each group consisted of 18 people, namely, the group
of patients who received Haloperidol and the group of patients who received Risperidone, and then were furtherly
evaluated until the 4th week. The sample examination method used was enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to see
the blood serum IL-2 levels. Clinical symptoms of Schizophrenia were assessed using the PANSS score.
RESULTS: The study showed that serum IL-2 levels decreased at the 4th week after conducting antipsychotic
therapy among both groups. The decrease in PANSS scores in the Risperidone group was greater compared to the
Haloperidol group at week 3 and week 4. In the serum IL-2 levels difference of the group who received Risperidone
therapy, the decrease was greater than those receiving Haloperidol therapy (3.72 ± 1.30 ng/ml vs. 2.43 ± 1.39 ng/ml,
p = 0.008). In addition, based on the correlation test, no significant correlation was present between the difference in
the total PANSS score and the difference in the serum IL-2 levels within the Haloperidol group (p = 0.059, r = 0.453)
and the Risperidone group (p = 0.518, r = 0.113). Schizophrenic patients have higher serum IL-2 levels than healthy
people. Schizophrenic patients who received antipsychotics for 4 weeks experienced a decrease in serum IL-2
levels. Risperidone administration had a higher decrease in serum IL-2 levels than Haloperidol.