Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Are Ignored in Schizophrenic Patients
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Are Ignored in Schizophrenic Patients
[The investigators] point to a "relative lack of provider concern" as "one obvious reason" why these risk factors remain undertreated in these patients.
Basic monitoring and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in severely mentally ill patients falls far short of that in the general population in most respects, according to results of a US study. Researchers led by Henry A Nasrallah, MD, associate dean/professor of psychiatry, neurology at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, say that although treatment for type 2 diabetes in these patients is roughly comparable to that in the community, "there is clearly significant work to be done surrounding the recognition and treatment of both hypertension and dyslipidemia in patients with schizophrenia." Nasrallah and colleagues report their study in the September 2006 issue of Schizophrenia Research, the official journal of the Schizophrenia International Research Society. They believe it is the largest study to date to specifically examine the extent of metabolic treatment in a cohort of schizophrenia patients screened for these abnormalities, as well as about their use of hypoglycemic, antihypertensive, and lipid-lowering medications.
People diagnosed with schizophrenia have higher CVD morbidity and mortality rates, yet these patients often have limited access to appropriate primary care screening or treatment. Diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension are highly prevalent in populations with schizophrenia, with rates in excess of 50% reported in some studies. Other CVD risk factors reported among schizophrenic patients include a higher rate of smoking, lack of exercise, psychosocial factors, lack of social support, and low socioeconomic status. CVD risk may also be increased due to adverse effects of prescribed psychiatric medications.
Introduction
[The investigators] point to a "relative lack of provider concern" as "one obvious reason" why these risk factors remain undertreated in these patients.
Basic monitoring and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in severely mentally ill patients falls far short of that in the general population in most respects, according to results of a US study. Researchers led by Henry A Nasrallah, MD, associate dean/professor of psychiatry, neurology at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, say that although treatment for type 2 diabetes in these patients is roughly comparable to that in the community, "there is clearly significant work to be done surrounding the recognition and treatment of both hypertension and dyslipidemia in patients with schizophrenia." Nasrallah and colleagues report their study in the September 2006 issue of Schizophrenia Research, the official journal of the Schizophrenia International Research Society. They believe it is the largest study to date to specifically examine the extent of metabolic treatment in a cohort of schizophrenia patients screened for these abnormalities, as well as about their use of hypoglycemic, antihypertensive, and lipid-lowering medications.
People diagnosed with schizophrenia have higher CVD morbidity and mortality rates, yet these patients often have limited access to appropriate primary care screening or treatment. Diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension are highly prevalent in populations with schizophrenia, with rates in excess of 50% reported in some studies. Other CVD risk factors reported among schizophrenic patients include a higher rate of smoking, lack of exercise, psychosocial factors, lack of social support, and low socioeconomic status. CVD risk may also be increased due to adverse effects of prescribed psychiatric medications.