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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 20, Issue 7 (Suppl)
J Psychiatry
ISSN: 2378-5756 JOP, an open access journal
Psychiatry and Mental Health 2017
November 20-21, 2017
November 20-21, 2017 Melbourne, Australia
28
th
International Conference on
Psychiatry and Mental Health
J Psychiatry 2017, 20:7 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2378-5756-C1-030
Serum iron overload among psychiatric patients in the Kumasi Metropolis, Kumasi, Ghana
Peter Kojo Brenya
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
T
he pathogenesis of many diseases like Psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer has been
associated with serum iron derangement. Iron is essential micronutrient and common trace element to human however,
its electrochemistry poses exceptional health challenge thus its metabolism is controlled in a clever mechanism. The
pathophysiology of iron metabolism in various psychiatric illnesses remain unclear, even though several studies have suggested
a link between serum iron and some variables in psychiatric conditions. There is paucity of information about the association
of iron overload and primary psychiatric illness, particularly as there exist controversial findings. Limited information on
biochemical profile of iron metabolism among psychiatric patients is available in Ghana especially where iron overload has
been suggested to be unrecognized cause of psychiatric morbidity. A total of 200 study participants comprising 75 treatment
naive psychiatric patients, 75 those already on treatment and a 50-healthy control were recruited into the study using the
International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). 4 ml of blood sample was collected between the hours of (7:00 am and 9:00
am) after 12 hours overnight fasting. Iron indices assayed amount the three groups were- Serum Iron, UIBC, TIBC, Transferrin
and percentage Transferrin Saturation (TS). High serum iron and TS and low UIBC, TIBC and Transferrin levels were present
in treatment-naive patients’ psychiatric patients compared to those already on treatment and the healthy controls (p<0.0001).
Treatment naive psychiatric patients demonstrated higher serum AST/ALT ratio and AST compared to controls (p=0.0004)
(p=0.0035) than those already on treatment (p=0.2488) (p=0.596) respectively. Iron overload (Serum Iron and TS) and chronic
liver dysfunction were significantly associated with treatment naive psychiatric patients compared to healthy controls and
psychiatric patients already on treatment. Assessment of iron indices should be incorporated in the initial clinical evaluations of
newly diagnosed psychiatric patients.
brenya.peter@yahoo.com