By Jenny Powers
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- September 18, 2009 -- Psychiatric patients, especially those receiving antipsychotic therapy, have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular comorbidities than the general population, irrespective of their specific psychiatric diagnosis, researchers reported here on September 14 at the 22nd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress.
A team of researchers led by Paul Mackin, MB BS, PhD, MRCPsych, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, compared cardiometabolic-risk profiles across patients from different diagnostic groups and the general population to determine the association between mental illness and cardiometabolic syndrome in patients with diagnoses other than schizophrenia.
Studies involving schizophrenia or other major mood disorders form the basis for this association in the literature. Information regarding the deleterious side effects of psychotropic medication also arises from studies of schizophrenic patients, and little is known about the effect of these drugs on cardiovascular risk in other diagnostic groups.
Dr. Mackin's study examined annual health-check data from 319 patients between January 2008 and February 2009. The study population was 53% male (n = 170). The mean age was 47.1 (+- 11.9) years, and subjects were predominantly white and British (98.4%, n = 314). Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio differed significantly across diagnostic groups; however, other cardiometabolic risk factors, including the presence of cardiovascular disease, did not differ significantly.
In the psychiatric group, antipsychotic (AP) drugs were prescribed in 74.8% of patients (typical antipsychotics = 9.1%; atypical antipsychotics = 61.8%; combination = 3.8%); antidepressants in 59.0%; and mood stabilisers in 31.9% of patients.
A significant relationship was observed between cardiometabolic risk and antipsychotic use (combination AP > atypical AP > typical AP > no AP) and for waist-to-hip ratio (0.99, 0.94, 0.91, 0.89; P = .001) and 10-year cardiovascular risk (15.7%, 11.0%, 9.4%, 7.4%; P = .01).
Dr. Mackin concluded that practitioners should consider the fact that psychiatric patients are at high risk for the development of cardiovascular disease, especially when they are undergoing treatment that includes antipsychotic drugs.
Funding for this study was provided by Kendle Early Stage and sanofi-aventis US.
[Presentation title: Effect of Diagnosis and Treatment on Cardio-Metabolic Risk in Community Psychiatric Patients in North Tyneside, United Kingdom. Abstract P.3.c.054]
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