Associations between betel nut (Areca catechu) and symptoms of schizophrenia among patients in Nepal: A longitudinal study

Betel nut is one of the mostly widely used substances in the world, particularly across Asia. Arecoline, a partial muscarinic agonist, has been hypothesized to have beneficial effects on both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. This study aims to further explore associations between betel use and symptoms or schizophrenia in a 4-month longitudinal study in Nepal. Sixty Nepali patients with schizophrenia were recruited from regional outpatient clinics. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Social Adaptation Self-Evaluation Scale were used to assess symptoms and social functioning in regular betel users and non-users. No significant group differences or dose-response relationships were noted on either initial or follow-up assessments. Stratifying by sex also failed to reveal an association between symptoms and betel use, which stands in contrast with previously reported data from Micronesia. There were no differences seen in social functioning other than a significantly higher proportion of betel users holding jobs. It was also noted that significantly fewer betel chewers were taking anti-cholinergic medication, which may tentatively indicate a potentially therapeutic role in the future for partial muscarinic agonists in the treatment of medication-induced movement disorders. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.