Objective: This study examined the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose tolerance in first-episode, drug-naive patients with schizophrenia. Method: In this cross-sectional study, fasting plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and cortisol were measured in 15 male and 11 female hospitalized Caucasian patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia (mean age=33.6 years) and age-and sexmatched healthy comparison subjects. The patients and comparison subjects were also matched in terms of various lifestyle and anthropometric measures. Results: More than 15% of the drug-naive, first-episode patients with schizophrenia had impaired fasting glucose tolerance, compared to none of the healthy volunteers. Compared with the healthy

The high point prevalence of IGT in never-treated patients and relatives supports either shared environmental or genetic predisposition to IGT. Both patients and their relatives present an ideal cost-effective opportunity to screen for Type 2 diabetes mellitus, as they are both easily identifiable.