Frailty-related vulnerability and immune cell profiles in younger adults with schizophrenia: an exploratory study.

<h4>Background</h4>This exploratory study aimed to compare frailty characteristics between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, and to investigate the association between frailty severity and immune-inflammatory markers in individuals with schizophrenia.<h4>Methods</h4>We recruited 27 community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia (mean age 39.9 ± 7.8 years) and 14 age-matched healthy controls (mean age 37.1 ± 8.4 years). Frailty was assessed using the Frailty Index-Laboratory (FI-Lab), the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS), and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Immune-inflammatory markers were analyzed using flow cytometry. Statistical analyses examined group differences and associations with frailty severity.<h4>Results</h4>Compared to healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia showed significantly higher scores on FI-Lab, EFS, and CFS. Several immune cell subsets, including memory (CD45RO⁺) γ/δ T^- Th17 and regulatory γ/δ T^- Th cells, were significantly elevated in the schizophrenia group. Within this group, FI-Lab scores were positively associated with memory (CD45RO⁺) γ/δ T^- Tc levels. No significant differences were observed for hs-CRP or homocysteine.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Our findings suggest that younger patients with schizophrenia may exhibit early signs of frailty and altered immune cell profiles. While limited by sample size and cross-sectional design, these findings highlight potential immune correlates of frailty-related vulnerability in this population.<h4>Clinical trial registration</h4>Not applicable.