Key result
Severe mental illness carries ~24% metabolic syndrome prevalence, driven by older age and longer disease duration.
Why the study?
Despite high rates of metabolic syndrome and CVD risk factors in patients with severe mental illness, little attention is given to these conditions during routine reviews in low-income countries like Uganda.
Cross-Sectional (n=302)
No
Metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent among Ugandan patients with severe mental illness, highlighting the critical need for routine cardiovascular risk screening in psychiatric settings in low-income countries.
Highlights MetS burden in severe mental illness; hypothesis-generating for age and duration as risk factors in low-resource settings.
Globally, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components which are the major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, is higher among patients with severe mental illness (SMI) compared to the general population. This is mainly due to the deleterious lifestyles characterized by physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and unhealthy diets common among patients with SMI as well as due to cardiometabolic effects of psychotropic medications. Despite these conditions being highly prevalent among patients with SMI, little attention is given to these conditions during routine reviews in the mental health clinics in most low-income countries including Uganda. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of MetS among patients with SMI at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), a tertiary hospital in southwestern Uganda. Through a cross-sectional study at the mental health clinic of the hospital, we recruited 304 patients with SMI and evaluated them for MetS using the National Cholesterol Education Programme Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. We defined the prevalence of MetS as the proportion of patients meeting the NCEP ATP III criteria. We used logistic regression to evaluate associations between MetS and independent variables. We included a total of 302 (44.37% male, 55.63% female) patients with a diagnosis of SMI in the analysis. The prevalence of MetS was 23.51% (95% CI 18.84-28.71). At multivariable logistic regression, age >40 years and long duration of mental illness (>10 years) were significantly associated with MetS. The prevalence of MetS is high among patients with psychiatric disorders, and thus metabolic screening, especially among the high-risk groups, is critical.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Agaba et al. (2019) conducted a cross-sectional in Severe mental illness (n=302). Severe mental illness was evaluated on Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (NCEP ATP III criteria) (95% CI 18.84-28.71). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with severe mental illness was 23.51%, with age 40-60 years and mental illness duration over 10 years identified as independent risk factors.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: