Psychotic disorder is a public health problem, with a cumulative incidence in the general population estimated at 3%. Although in most cases the origin is purely psychiatric, psychotic disorder can also represent a mode of entry into many organic pathologies. Among these, hereditary metabolic diseases, although rare in the general population, hold a special place, especially in view of their potentially treatable character. However, the identification of this type of disease within the mass of patients with psychotic disorders can be an extremely complex task, and has been the subject of scientific interest for many years.
Recently, at the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, a new hereditary metabolic disease that causes psychotic disorders has been discovered. This disease was identified in a family of patients, most of whom had psychotic disorders, and all of whom had deep cystic leukoencephalopathy on MRI and a positive sulfitest. The discovery of this new hereditary metabolic disease raises the question of its prevalence in patients with psychotic disorders, and more generally of the prevalence of diseases of sulfur amino acid metabolism.
PsyNIT study therefore aims, using the sulfitest, to detect hereditary diseases of sulfur amino acid metabolism in a sample of patients with psychotic disorders without known organic etiology. The discovery of other patients would raise the question of screening more widely for this type of pathology, and would modify the management of the patients thus screened in terms of follow-up and possibly treatment.
