[Pathological lability of venous fasting blood sugar regulation in psychotic disease]

The lability of peripheral venous postabsorptive blood sugar regulation was investigated in 98 patients suffering from floridly psychotic diseases (45 somatically based psychoses, 27 endogenous/involutional depressions, and 26 schizophrenic psychoses). In total, 259 times, in 30-sec intervals, 10 fasting blood sugar values each were determined (so-called 'Anderson curves'). The maximal normal range of 36 mg% of spontaneous blood sugar oscillations in normal probands was exceeded in 17% of depressive, in 15% of schizophrenic, and in 12% of somatically based psychoses. The frequency and probability of appearance of pathological Anderson curves proved independently of any clinical-psychiatric diagnosis, and only significantly correlated with the criterion 'psychotically ill'. Discussed are primary central deviations from nominal gluco-sensitive regulatory 'tone' as postulated cause of pathological lability of venous blood sugar homeostasis resulting. Besides additional, pre-known glucose-metabolic derangements accompanying certain neuropsychiatric syndromes, pathological Anderson curves in psychotic illness are looked at as unspecific functional deviations involving bipolar-adrenergic dysbalances.