Diagnosing Organic Causes of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Findings from a One-Year Cohort of the Freiburg Diagnostic Protocol in Psychosis (FDPP)

Abstract

Introduction: Secondary schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) have clearly identifiable causes. The Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Freiburg has continued to expand its screening practices to clarify the organic causes of SSDs. This retrospective analysis was carried out to analyze whether a comprehensive organic diagnostic procedure could be informative in patients with SSDs. Methods and Participants: The “Freiburg Diagnostic Protocol in Psychosis” (FDPP) included basic laboratory analyses (e.g., thyroid hormones), metabolic markers, pathogens, vitamin status, different serological autoantibodies, rheumatic/immunological markers (e.g., complement factors), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) basic and antineuronal antibody analyses, as well as cranial magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). The findings of 76 consecutive patients with SSDs (55 with paranoid–hallucinatory; 14 with schizoaffective; 4 with hebephrenic; and 1 each with catatonic, acute polymorphic psychotic, and substance-induced psychotic syndromes) were analyzed. Results: Overall, vitamin and trace element deficiency was identified in 92%. Complement factor analyses detected reduced C3 levels in 11%. Immunological laboratory alterations were detected in 76%. CSF analysis revealed general alterations in 54% of the patients, mostly with signs of blood–brain barrier dysfunction. cMRI analyses showed chronic inflammatory lesions in 4%. Combination of EEG, cMRI, and CSF revealed alterations in 76% of the patients. In three patients, autoimmune psychosis was suspected (4%). Discussion: On the basis of these findings, we conclude that a comprehensive diagnostic procedure according to the FDPP in patients with SSD is worthwhile, considering the detection of secondary, organic forms of SSDs, as well as alterations in “modulating factors” of the disease course, such as vitamin deficiency. Larger studies using comprehensive diagnostic protocols are warranted to further validate this approach.