Comparison of Monocyte/High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio (MHR) Between Patients with First-Episode and Chronic Schizophrenia

Objective: To investigate the monocyte/high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR), which has been shown in the literature to be a novel inflammatory marker in patients
with first-episode (FES) and chronic (CS) schizophrenia.
Materials and Methods: The study involved 38 patients with FES, 65 patients with CS and 40 healthy controls (HC). Retrospective investigations of blood parameters
were carried out using the database and associated records. The monocyte count was divided by the HDL-C level to determine the MHR.
Results: Monocyte levels were significantly higher and platelet and HDL-C levels were significantly lower in both the FES and CS groups compared with the HC group.
MHR levels were significantly higher in both the FES and CS groups compared with healthy controls, although no statistically significant difference was detected
between the two groups. Correlation analyses revealed several modest associations between MHR and certain clinical variables, though no consistent relationship
with illness duration or hospitalisation-related variables was observed.
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that MHR is significantly increased in patients with schizophrenia, supporting the notion that schizophrenia is
associated with inflammatory activation. These results suggest that MHR may be associated with the inflammatory alterations observed in schizophrenia.