Association Between Prolactin, Estradiol, and Testosterone Levels and the Development of Metabolic Syndrome in Female Inpatients with Schizophrenia: A Case–Control Study

This study was to investigate the association between sex hormone levels and metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in female schizophrenia inpatients. In total, 93 female schizophrenia patients were enrolled based on their electronic medical records of hospitalization at the Zigong Psychiatric Research Center, China, between August 2022 to September 2022. Baseline information was collected retrospectively from medical records 6 months before. Logistic regression analysis was applied to assess the potential relationship between sex hormone levels and the risk of developing MetS. 31.2% (29/93) of the total patients, 25.5% (12/47) of the 18–49 age group, and 37.0% (17/46) of the ≥ 50 age group had a history of MetS; the newly-developed MetS prevalence among all female schizophrenia patients was 15.05% (14/93), which was slightly higher but not statistically significant in older patients (age ≥ 50) than in younger patients (age 18–49) (≥ 50 vs. 18–49, 21.74% vs. 8.5%, p = 0.074). Univariate analysis of sex hormone levels and developed MetS discovered that only high prolactin levels correlated with developed MetS in total participants (p = 0.006), especially in older patients (p = 0.004), while estradiol and testosterone levels were not associated. Furthermore, univariate logistic regression analysis of the total participants and with an adjusted model of the ≥ 50 age group confirmed the association of prolactin with MetS in all (OR = 1.016, 95%CI:1.002–1.029, p = 0.023), and older female schizophrenia patients (OR = 1.04, 95%CI: 1.01–1.07, p = 0.008). High serum levels of prolactin in older patients (age ≥ 50) were strongly correlated with the risk of developing MetS among female schizophrenia patients.