Association of variants in SH2B1 and RABEP1 with worsening of low-density lipoprotein and glucose parameters in patients treated with psychotropic drugs

SH2B1 rs3888190C > A was significantly associated with LDL levels in the discovery and in the replication sample, with A-allele carriers having 0.2 mmol/l (p = 0.005) and 0.36 mmol/l (p = 0.007) higher LDL levels compared to others, respectively. G-allele carriers of RABEP1 rs1000940A > G had lower fasting glucose levels compared to others in both samples (− 0.16 mmol/l; p < 0.001 and − 0.77 mmol/l; p = 0.03 respectively). The present study is the first to observe such associations in human subjects, which may in part be explained by a high risk towards dyslipidemia and diabetes in psychiatric patients receiving psychotropic treatments compared to population-based individuals. These results may therefore give new insight into the etiology of LDL-cholesterol and glucose regulation in psychiatric patients under psychotropic drug therapy.