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The rate of metabolic syndrome in euthymic Canadian individuals with bipolar I/II disorder

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Abstract

Objective

To report on the rate of metabolic syndrome, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III), in asymptomatic adults with bipolar I/II disorder evaluated at the Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit (MDPU), University Health Network, University of Toronto. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting on the rate of metabolic syndrome in a Canadian clinical sample and exclusively evaluating asymptomatic individuals.

Methods

This was a post-hoc, cross-sectional analysis of adult bipolar subjects who were primarily enrolled in a clinical intervention study. All subjects in this sample were asymptomatic at the time of assessing metabolic parameters.

Results

Data from 99 euthymic bipolar subjects (n=51 female, n=48 male) were included for the analysis. The sample mean age±SD was 38±11.15 years. Thirty-one subjects (32.6%) met criteria for the metabolic syndrome with no significant differences as a function of sex. The waist circumference criterion was met in 37 (41.1%) subjects. Diastolic and systolic blood pressure criteria were met in 26 (27.6%) and 28 (29.7%) subjects, respectively. Thirty-one subjects (36.4%) met the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) criterion, while 33 (38.8%) met the triglyceride criterion. Moreover, five (6.1%) met the criterion for high fasting glucose level (diabetes mellitus or glucose/insulin dysregulation at screening was an exclusion criterion). Men were more likely to have high diastolic (P=0.001) and systolic blood pressure (P=0.007) as well as hypertriglyceridemia (P=0.037). Abdominal obesity, HDL, and fasting glucose levels were not significantly different between men and women. Bipolar individuals with concurrent metabolic syndrome had a later age at first treatment and increased number of total hospitalizations.

Conclusion

Asymptomatic Canadian individuals with bipolar disorder exhibit a high rate of concurrent metabolic syndrome. The results herein buttress recommendations for risk factor screening and modification, ongoing surveillance, as well as primary and secondary prevention strategies for metabolic abnormalities in individuals with bipolar disorder.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Roger S. McIntyre, Mohammad T. Alsuwaidan & Sidney H. Kennedy

  2. Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Roger S. McIntyre

  3. Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Roger S. McIntyre, Hanna O. Woldeyohannes, Joanna K. Soczynska, Andrew Miranda, Angela Lachowski, Samantha S. Liauw, Talia Grossman, Maria T. Lourenco, Mohammad T. Alsuwaidan & Sidney H. Kennedy

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Health Promotion Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Byungsu Kim

  5. Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Roger S. McIntyre, Joanna K. Soczynska & Sidney H. Kennedy

Authors
  1. Roger S. McIntyre
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  2. Hanna O. Woldeyohannes
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  3. Joanna K. Soczynska
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  4. Andrew Miranda
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  5. Angela Lachowski
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  6. Samantha S. Liauw
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  7. Talia Grossman
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  8. Maria T. Lourenco
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  9. Byungsu Kim
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  10. Mohammad T. Alsuwaidan
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  11. Sidney H. Kennedy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roger S. McIntyre.

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McIntyre, R.S., Woldeyohannes, H.O., Soczynska, J.K. et al. The rate of metabolic syndrome in euthymic Canadian individuals with bipolar I/II disorder. Adv Therapy 27, 828–836 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-010-0072-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-010-0072-z

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