Effects of risperidone on blood levels of interleukin-6 in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association between risperidone use and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels by conducting a meta-analysis of controlled before-and-after studies. METHODS: Studies were identified through a systematic search of PubMed and Embase. The mean and standardized differences were extracted to calculate the standardized mean differences. IL-6 levels were compared in patients with schizophrenia before and after risperidone treatment. RESULTS: Ten studies were included in the final meta-analysis. The primary findings from our study suggest that there was a significant decrease in serum IL-6 levels after risperidone treatment (P = .021). A subgroup analysis revealed the sources of heterogeneity. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the results were stable, and no publication bias was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis provides evidence that risperidone can significantly reduce IL-6 levels in schizophrenia. IL-6 is a potential biomarker of the pathophysiology and clinical processes of schizophrenia.