Impact of the metabolic syndrome on severe mental disorders

Excerpt

Compared to the general population, severe psychiatric disorders are associated with an increased mortality, which can largely be explained by a high incidence of somatic comorbidities, unhealthy lifestyle, low physical activity and increased rate of suicides [1]. For example, schizophrenia patients have a higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome than the general population, with a two- to threefold increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) resulting in increased cardiac mortality [2]. This leads to an estimated reduction in life expectancy of nearly 10–15 years compared to the general population. The metabolic syndrome is defined as a combination of increased waist circumference and two of the following criteria: high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and elevated fasting glucose, by the International Diabetes Federation. It is also defined by the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education and the adapted Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III-A) of the American Heart Association, which require 3 criteria to be fulfilled [1]. …