Psychotropic drug-induced lipid disturbances: a genome-wide association study in a Swiss psychiatric cohort

Dyslipidemia affects patients with severe mental illness to varying degrees, partly due to medication side effects and genetic variations that modify drug-induced lipid changes. To identify these genetics contributors, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 829 patients of the PsyMetab cohort whose total-, LDL-, HDL- cholesterol and triglyceride levels were recorded pre- and up to one-year post psychotropic treatment. Seven different loci were associated at genome wide significance level (P<5x10-8) with treatment-induced lipids changes. Three genetic variants were associated with total cholesterol change following aripiprazole, quetiapine, and combination of quetiapine, olanzapine, clozapine treatment (rs17313064 G>A, rs12543987 G>A, rs58331124 G>A, respectively). Two markers were associated with HDL-cholesterol change following lithium and mirtazapine treatment (rs12097296 C>T, rs10933971 C>T, respectively). One variant was associated with triglycerides change following risperidone treatment (rs10260518 G>T) and finally one genetic variation was associated with triglycerides change considering any drug treatment (rs56286230 T>G). See: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04419-2