Incidence and prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders

Abstract

Physical health of long tern1 psychiatric patients is commonly overlooked. Metabolic syndrome (MS) which has already affected nearly one fourth of the general population is increasingly being recognized among patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders (SSD). This is associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes among SSD patients. There is dearth of data on the prevalence of MS among psychiatric patients in Australia. This descriptive study aimed to find out the prevalence of MS among SSD patients and to explore the incidence of MS among patients on clozapine. All the consented patients from Northern Area Mental Health Services were included for the prevalence study while the patients recently commenced on clozapine were followed up to decide the incidence. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect demographic data while biophysical and biochemical data were collected using relevant instruments and laboratory investigations. Among the 74 patients participated, 62.5 percent had MS which is approximately three times compared to general population. Clozapine treatment significantly increased fasting blood glucose