Background: The impairment of social function is widespread in the patients with chronic schizophrenia, which seriously affects family, life and work conditions.
Aims: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of paliperidone in the treatment of social function in chronic schizophrenia.
Methods: A total of 81 patients who met the standard criteria for schizophrenia and long-term hospitalised inpatients were randomly divided into the treatment group and normal control group following a 1- year prospective follow-up study. The reatment group (41 cases) used paliperidone extended-release tablets for reducing dosage, as appropriate, based on the original treatment strategy; and the control group (40 cases) used the former drugs. All patients were assessed using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scales (PANSS), and the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) was used to assess adverse drug reactions. The Hospitalised Psychiatric Patients' Social Functions Rating Scale (SSPI) was used to assess social function of participants before and after 8 weeks, 6 months and 1 year of treatment.
Results: At baseline there were no significant differences between the two groups in age, duration of illness, educational background and dosage of antipsychotic drugs (converted into chlorpromazine equivalency). There was statistically significant difference in PANSS positive symptoms by interaction effect (Fgroup×time=18.24, df=3237, p<0.001) and time effect (Ftime=21.66, df=3, p<0.01) and the difference in PANSS positive symptoms by grouping effect (Fgroup=0.68, df=1, p=0.41) was not statistically significant. The difference of grouping effect of PANSS negative symptoms (Fgroup=9.93, df=1, p=0.002), time effect (Ftime=279.15, df=3, p<0.001) and interaction effect (Fgroup × time=279.15, df=3237, p<0.001) were statistically significant. There were statistically significant differences in the grouping effect (Fgr oup=6.59, df=1, p=0.012), time effect (Ftime=152.97, df=3, p<0.001) and interaction effect (Fgroup × time=148.82, df=3237, p<0.001) of PANSS general pathological symptoms, the same as the total score of the PANSS, which showed large differences in grouping effect (Fg roup=7.04, df=1, p=0.001), time effect (Ftime=210.78, df=3, p<0.001) and interaction effect (Fgroup × time=205.20, df=3237, p<0.01). We found in the total SSPI score, grouping effect (Fgroup=31.70, df=1, p<0.001), time effect (Ftime=161.84, df=3, p<0.001) and interaction effect (Fgroup × time=132.74, df=3237, p<0.001) were demonstrated to be significantly different. Even though adverse reactions occurred 7 times in the treatment group and 44 times in the control group based on the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS), incidence rate was significantly lower than that of the control group (χ²=18.854, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Paliperidone can safely and effectively improve negative symptoms and social function in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
Keywords: chronic schizophrenia; paliperidone extended-release tablets; positive and negative symptoms; security; social function.