Archive 1992–2014

Objectives. The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with diagnosed schizophrenia, hospitalized at the Psychiatric Hospital in Gniezno.
Methods. Eighty patients were studied - 27 women and 53 men admitted to the hospital between 01.12.2005 and 01.11.2006. Schizophrenia was diagnosed according to ICD-10 criteria. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The following criteria were measured: glucose, lipid profile, body weight, blood pressure, and waist circumference.
Results. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 32.5% of the patients. No statistically significant difference was found between male and female patients. The most frequent elements of the metabolic syndrome were low HDL cholesterol and excessive waist circumference. The metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in patients over 40 years of age (47%) than in patients aged 20-30 (24%). No relationship was found between duration of illness and the probability of metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in patients treated with perazine, olanzapine and clozapine than in patients receiving other neuroleptics.
Conclusions. Metabolic syndrome and its components are a frequent phenomenon in patients with schizophrenia.