Do deficits in cardiac care influence high mortality rates in schizophrenia? A systematic review and pooled analysis

Treatment response to the RENEW weight loss intervention in schizophrenia: impact of intervention setting

BACKGROUND

Individuals with serious mental illness have high rates of obesity and a need for specialized weight loss intervention programs. This study examines the efficacy of the RENEW weight loss intervention and examines the impact of the intervention setting on outcomes.

METHOD

136 individuals with serious mental illness from 4 different settings were randomly assigned to receive the RENEW weight loss intervention or a control condition of treatment as usual. The RENEW intervention is a one year program that includes an intensive, maintenance and intermittent supports phase.

RESULTS

The intervention group experienced a modest weight loss of 4.8 lbs at 3 months, 4.1 lbs at 6 months and a slight weight gain of 1.5 lbs at 12 months. The control group gained a total of 6.2 lbs at 12 months. However when settings were examined separately the responder sites had a weight loss of 9.4 lbs at 3 months, 10.9 lbs at 6 months and 7 lbs at 12 months.

DISCUSSION

These results suggest that the settings in which individuals receive services may act as a support or hindrance toward response to weight loss interventions. The concept of the obesogenic environment deserves further examination as a factor in the success of weight loss programs.

Patterns of physical co-/multi-morbidity among patients with serious mental illness: a London borough-based cross-sectional study

Background

Serious mental illness (SMI) is associated with elevated mortality compared to the general population; the majority of this excess is attributable to co-occurring common physical health conditions. There may be variation within the SMI group in the distribution of physical co/multi-morbidity. This study aims to a) compare the pattern of physical co- and multi-morbidity between patients with and without SMI within a South London primary care population; and, b) to explore socio-demographic and health risk factors associated with excess physical morbidity among the SMI group.

Methods

Data were obtained from Lambeth DataNet, a database of electronic patient records derived from general practices in the London borough of Lambeth. The pattern of 12 co-morbid common physical conditions was compared by SMI status. Multivariate ordinal and logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the strength of association between each condition and SMI status; adjustments were made for potentially confounding socio-demographic characteristics and for potentially mediating health risk factors.

Results

While SMI patients were more frequently recorded with all 12 physical conditions than non-SMI patients, the pattern of co-/multi-morbidity was similar between the two groups. Adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics – in particular age and, to a lesser extent ethnicity, considerably reduced effect sizes and accounted for some of the associations, though several conditions remained strongly associated with SMI status. Evidence for mediation by health risk factors, in particular BMI, was supported.

Conclusions

SMI patients are at an elevated risk of a range of physical health conditions than non-SMI patients but they do not appear to experience a different pattern of co-/multimorbidity among those conditions considered. Socio-demographic differences between the two groups account for some of the excess in morbidity and known health risk factors are likely to mediate the association. Further work to examine a wider range of conditions and health risk factors would help determine the extent of excess mortality attributable to these factors.

Cardiovascular drug use and mortality in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder: a Danish population-based study

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular (CV) co-morbidity is one of the major modifiable risk factors driving the excess mortality in individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Population-based studies in this area are sparse.

METHOD

We used Danish population registers to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for CV drug use, and mortality rate ratios comparing subjects with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder with subjects with no prior psychiatric hospitalization.

RESULTS

IRRs for CV prescriptions were significantly decreased in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared with the general population. Among persons without previous myocardial infarction (MI) or cerebrovascular disease, persons with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder had an up to 6- and 15-fold increased mortality from all causes or unnatural causes, respectively, compared with the general population, being most pronounced among those without CV treatment (16-fold increase). Among those with previous MI or cerebrovascular disease, excess all-cause and unnatural death was lower (up to 3-fold and 7-fold increased, respectively), but was similar in CV-treated and -untreated persons.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study shows an apparent under-prescription of most CV drugs among patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared with the general population in Denmark. The excess of mortality by unnatural deaths in the untreated group suggests that the association between CV treatment and mortality may be confounded by severity of illness. However, our results also suggest that treatment of CV risk factors is neglected in these patients.

Inequalities in lung cancer care of elderly patients with schizophrenia: an observational cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Cancer mortality is higher in individuals with schizophrenia, a finding that may be due, in part, to inequalities in care. We evaluated gaps in lung cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survival among elderly individuals with schizophrenia.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database linked to Medicare records was used to identify patients 66 years or older with primary non-small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer stage, diagnostic evaluation, and rates of stage-appropriate treatment were compared among patients with and without schizophrenia using unadjusted and multiple regression analyses. Survival was compared among groups using Kaplan-Meier methods.

RESULTS

Of the 96,702 patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, 1303 (1.3%) had schizophrenia. In comparison with the general population, patients with schizophrenia were less likely to present with late-stage disease after controlling for age, sex, marital status, race/ethnicity, income, histology, and comorbidities (odds ratio = 0.82, 95% confidence interval = 0.73-0.93) and were less likely to undergo appropriate evaluation (p < .050 for all comparisons). Adjusting for similar factors, patients with schizophrenia were also less likely to receive stage-appropriate treatment (odds ratio = 0.50, 95% confidence interval = 0.43-0.58). Survival was decreased among patients with schizophrenia (mean survival = 22.3 versus 26.3 months, p = .002); however, no differences were observed after controlling for treatment received (p = .40).

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly patients with schizophrenia present with earlier stages of lung cancer but are less likely to undergo diagnostic evaluation or to receive stage-appropriate treatment, resulting in poorer outcomes. Efforts to increase treatment rates for elderly patients with schizophrenia may lead to improved survival in this group.

[Psychosis, cardiovascular risk and associated mortality: are we on the right track?]

Patients with psychotic disorders have a higher risk of early mortality. In addition to unnatural causes (accidents, suicide), death due to cardiovascular (CV) reasons is two to four times more prevalent in these patients than in the general population. This non-systematic review of MEDLINE aims to clarify the role of all the determining factors are involved. Psychotic disorders are related to unhealthy life habits such as smoking, poor diet and physical inactivity. Neuroleptic drugs have also been studied as triggers of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, psychotic patients seem predisposed to suffer from several of the «classic» CV risk factors. It is not surprising that their scores on the CV risk scales (Framingham, SCORE) are higher than the general population. We also found publications that showed poorer management of primary and secondary prevention of CV disease. In addition, some biochemical factors (plasma levels of cortisol, ACTH, homocysteine, PCR) may indicate a vulnerability in psychosis per se, as well as the findings on hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in psychotic "drug naive" patients. These "non-classical" factors could alter the validity of CV risk scales designed for the general population. Furthermore, antipsychotic drugs could control intrinsic factors of psychosis (they have shown to reduce global mortality), and their role in CV mortality is not clear.

Increased mortality in schizophrenia due to cardiovascular disease - a non-systematic review of epidemiology, possible causes, and interventions

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia is among the major causes of disability worldwide and the mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) is significantly elevated. There is a growing concern that this health challenge is not fully understood and efficiently addressed.

METHODS

Non-systematic review using searches in PubMed on relevant topics as well as selection of references based on the authors' experience from clinical work and research in the field.

RESULTS

In most countries, the standardized mortality rate in schizophrenia is about 2.5, leading to a reduction in life expectancy between 15 and 20 years. A major contributor of the increased mortality is due to CVD, with CVD mortality ranging from 40 to 50% in most studies. Important causal factors are related to lifestyle, including poor diet, lack of physical activity, smoking, and substance abuse. Recent findings suggest that there are overlapping pathophysiology and genetics between schizophrenia and CVD-risk factors, further increasing the liability to CVD in schizophrenia. Many pharmacological agents used for treating psychotic disorders have side effects augmenting CVD risk. Although several CVD-risk factors can be effectively prevented and treated, the provision of somatic health services to people with schizophrenia seems inadequate. Further, there is a sparseness of studies investigating the effects of lifestyle interventions in schizophrenia, and there is little knowledge about effective programs targeting physical health in this population.

DISCUSSION

The risk for CVD and CVD-related deaths in people with schizophrenia is increased, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully known. Coordinated interventions in different health care settings could probably reduce the risk. There is an urgent need to develop and implement effective programs to increase life expectancy in schizophrenia, and we argue that mental health workers should be more involved in this important task.

Primary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with major mental illness: a possible role for statins

OBJECTIVES

To examine the need for and the possible benefits and risks of statin therapy in patients with major mental illness.

METHODS

Patients with psychiatric conditions, especially those with major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are at increased risk of overweight, obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and the metabolic syndrome, all of which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and mortality. The literature on the subject was qualitatively reviewed.

RESULTS

Primary prevention benefits with statins are well known in the general population of high-risk patients; recent evidence suggests that statins also carry primary prevention benefits in low-risk subjects. Regrettably, the primary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in psychiatry is a neglected area in clinical practice as well as in interventional research, whether in high- or in low-risk patients. Initial concerns notwithstanding, psychiatric complications do not appear to be important among the adverse effects of statins. Although statins are associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes mellitus, myopathy, and other untoward consequences, the risk-benefit ratio appears to favor statin use. The advisability of using statins in low-risk or medically healthy subjects remains debatable.

CONCLUSIONS

Overweight, obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and the metabolic syndrome are common in patients with major mental illness, and these increase the risk of medical morbidity and mortality. Statin use should therefore be considered for the primary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in psychiatric patients, especially in those at high risk.

A meta-analysis of cardio-metabolic abnormalities in drug naïve, first-episode and multi-episode patients with schizophrenia versus general population controls

A meta-analysis was conducted to explore the risk for cardio-metabolic abnormalities in drug naïve, first-episode and multi-episode patients with schizophrenia and age- and gender- or cohort-matched general population controls. Our literature search generated 203 relevant studies, of which 136 were included. The final dataset comprised 185,606 unique patients with schizophrenia, and 28 studies provided data for age- and gender-matched or cohort-matched general population controls (n=3,898,739). We found that multi-episode patients with schizophrenia were at increased risk for abdominal obesity (OR=4.43; CI=2.52-7.82; p<0.001), hypertension (OR=1.36; CI=1.21-1.53; p<0.001), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR=2.35; CI=1.78-3.10; p<0.001), hypertriglyceridemia (OR=2.73; CI=1.95-3.83; p<0.001), metabolic syndrome (OR=2.35; CI=1.68-3.29; p<0.001), and diabetes (OR=1.99; CI=1.55-2.54; p<0.001), compared to controls. Multi-episode patients with schizophrenia were also at increased risk, compared to first-episode (p<0.001) and drug-naïve (p<0.001) patients, for the above abnormalities, with the exception of hypertension and diabetes. Our data provide further evidence supporting WPA recommendations on screening, follow-up, health education and lifestyle changes in people with schizophrenia.

Nurse views on the cardiometabolic health nurse as an approach to improving the physical health of people with serious mental illness in Australia

People with serious mental illness (SMI) die prematurely from common physical illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These cardiometabolic risks are preventable and manageable yet these aspects of health care have been neglected in mental health services. A potential nurse-based strategy to decisively improve cardiometabolic health of people with SMI is to introduce a cardiometabolic health nurse (CHN) into mental health services. The current study aimed to establish the views of nurses working in mental health care on the potential benefits and limits of CHN to improve physical health-care standards in Australia. All members of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses were invited to participate in an online survey and 643 participated. Nurses generally agreed that a CHN role would provide a range of improvements to physical health care, such as increased detection, assessment on, and follow up of cardiometabolic risks, and decreased workload for other nurses. While participants were generally supportive of such a role, they felt it would not be suitable in all health-care settings in Australia.

Life expectancy and death by diseases of the circulatory system in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia in the Nordic countries

Objective

Excess mortality from diseases and medical conditions (natural death) in persons with psychiatric disorders has been extensively reported. Even in the Nordic countries with well-developed welfare systems, register based studies find evidence of an excess mortality. In recent years, cardiac mortality and death by diseases of the circulatory system has seen a decline in all the Nordic countries, but a recent paper indicates that women and men in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, who had been hospitalised for a psychotic disorder, had a two to three-fold increased risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality by diseases of the circulatory system among patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia in the three Nordic countries Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Furthermore, the aim was to examine and compare life expectancy among these patients. Cause specific Standardized Mortality Rates (SMRs) were calculated for each specific subgroup of mortality. Life expectancy was calculated using Wiesler’s method.

Results

The SMR for bipolar disorder for diseases of the circulatory system was approximately 2 in all countries and both sexes. SMR was slightly higher for people with schizophrenia for both genders and in all countries, except for men in Denmark. Overall life expectancy was much lower among persons with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, with life expectancy being from 11 to 20 years shorter.

Conclusion

Our data show that persons in the Nordic countries with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a substantially reduced life expectancy. An evaluation of the reasons for these increased mortality rates should be prioritized when planning healthcare in the coming years.

Increasing mortality gap for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia over the last three decades--a Danish nationwide study from 1980 to 2010

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to describe secular trends in the average age of death in patients with schizophrenia and to compare these with the general population.

METHODS

This is a longitudinal linkage study from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 2010 using the Danish Psychiatric Research Register and the Danish Cause of Death Register. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and survival analysis.

RESULTS

The average age of death in the schizophrenia population (62.2 years; 95% CI, 61.9-62.5) was lower compared to the general population (73.4 years; 95% CI, 73.4-73.4), P<0.001. In the general population we found, for men, an average increase in the age of death of 0.28 years (95% CI, 0.27-0.28) per calendar year, and for women an increase in age of death of 0.31 years (95% CI, 0.31-0.32) per calendar year (both P<0.001). In contrast, age of death decreased in the schizophrenia population: the change in average age of death for males was 0.04 years (95% CI, -0.09 to 0.00) per calendar year (P<0.05), and the comparable estimate for females was -0.05 years (95% CI, -0.09 to 0.01) per calendar year (P<0.05). A similar pattern existed after acts of self-harm as cause of death were excluded from the analyses. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia had an increased mortality rate compared with the general population (hazard ratio, 2.05; 95% CI, 2.01-2.09).

CONCLUSIONS

On average, patients with schizophrenia die younger than the general population, independent of intentional self-harm as cause of death.

Putative neuroprotective agents in neuropsychiatric disorders

In many individuals with major neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, their disease characteristics are consistent with a neuroprogressive illness. This includes progressive structural brain changes, cognitive and functional decline, poorer treatment response and an increasing vulnerability to relapse with chronicity. The underlying molecular mechanisms of neuroprogression are thought to include neurotrophins and regulation of neurogenesis and apoptosis, neurotransmitters, inflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, cortisol and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and epigenetic influences. Knowledge of the involvement of each of these pathways implies that specific agents that act on some or multiple of these pathways may thus block this cascade and have neuroprotective properties. This paper reviews the potential of the most promising of these agents, including lithium and other known psychotropics, aspirin, minocycline, statins, N-acetylcysteine, leptin and melatonin. These agents are putative neuroprotective agents for schizophrenia and mood disorders.

Physical health care for people with mental illness: training needs for nurses

AIM

People diagnosed with serious mental illness have higher rates of physical morbidity and decreased longevity, yet these people are not adequately served by health care systems. Nurses may provide improved physical health support to consumers with serious mental illness but this is partly dependent on nurses having necessary skills and interest in training opportunities for this component of their work. This survey investigated Australian nurses' interest in training across areas of physical health care including lifestyle factors, cardiovascular disease, and identifying health risks.

METHODS

A nation-wide online survey of nurse members of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. The survey included an adapted version of a sub-section of the Physical Health Attitudes Scale. Participants were asked to indicate their interest in various aspects of physical health care training.

RESULTS

Most (91.6%) participants viewed educating nurses in physical health care as of moderate or significant value in improving the physical health of people with serious mental illness. Interest in training in all areas of physical health care was over 60% across the health care settings investigated (e.g. public, private, primary care). Forty-two percent sought training in all nine areas of physical health care, from supporting people with diabetes, to assisting consumers with sexually-related and lifestyle issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that nurses in mental health services in Australia acknowledge the importance of training to improve physical health care of consumers with serious mental illness. Training programs and learning opportunities for nurses are necessary to reduce inequalities in health of people with serious mental illness.

Cardiovascular morbidity, mortality and pharmacotherapy in patients with schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Patients with schizophrenia have excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Previous studies suggest that this may be partly due to inadequate somatic treatment and care, such as non-optimal use of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive pharmacotherapy, but longitudinal studies on such aetiological pathways are scarce.

METHOD

We investigated the use of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive pharmacotherapy, and the risk of hospitalization for and death from coronary heart disease and stroke among patients with schizophrenia in a birth cohort of 12 939 subjects (Helsinki Birth Cohort Study). This cohort was followed for over 30 adult years by using national databases on cardio- and cerebrovascular hospitalizations and mortality and on reimbursement entitlements and use of drugs for treatment of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, coronary heart disease and diabetes.

RESULTS

Individuals with schizophrenia had a higher risk of hospitalization for coronary heart disease [hazard ratio (HR) 1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-2.57], and mortality from this disease was markedly higher (HR 2.92, 95% CI 1.70-5.00), particularly among women (p=0.001 for women, p=0.008 for men). Women with schizophrenia had also marginally increased stroke mortality (p=0.06). However, patients with schizophrenia used less lipid-lowering (odds ratio 0.47, 95% CI 0.27-0.80) and antihypertensive drug treatment (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.22-0.61).

CONCLUSIONS

In this longitudinal study, coronary heart disease morbidity was increased and coronary heart disease mortality markedly increased in patients, especially in women with schizophrenia. These patients nevertheless received less antihypertensive and lipid-lowering treatment.

A critical review of major mortality risk factors for all-cause mortality in first-episode schizophrenia: clinical and research implications

A bibliographical search was performed to identify and evaluate the impact in first-episode schizophrenia of the major mortality risk factors as described by the World Health Organisation (2009). We found that at first diagnosis rates of diabetes were only slightly increased, although lipid abnormalities, mild hypertension and being overweight were commonly reported. Levels of drug and alcohol abuse were high, as were pre-diagnosis rates of smoking, physical inactivity and poor cardiorespiratory fitness. During the first year of antipsychotic treatment, there were significant increases in the rates of hyperglycaemia/diabetes, obesity, lipid abnormalities and hypertension, but no changes in fitness levels, smoking or drug and alcohol abuse. In chronic schizophrenia, excess cancer and cardiac deaths seem linked in part to availability and quality of care. Innate risk factors such as abnormal reelin and raised prolactin may also be important. New evidence, such as an inverse relationship between body mass index and suicide in the general population, suggests accepted wisdom may not apply to patients at high risk of ending their own lives. With current knowledge emphasis needs to be placed by early intervention services on physical fitness, smoking and other substance misuse, diabetes and hypertension, as well as focusing on weight reduction only in the obese.

Life expectancy and cardiovascular mortality in persons with schizophrenia

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To assess the impact of cardiovascular disease on the excess mortality and shortened life expectancy in schizophrenic patients.

RECENT FINDINGS

Patients with schizophrenia have two-fold to three-fold higher mortality rates compared with the general population, corresponding to a 10-25-year reduction in life expectancy. Although the mortality rate from suicide is high, natural causes of death account for a greater part of the reduction in life expectancy. The reviewed studies suggest four main reasons for the excess mortality and reduced life expectancy. First, persons with schizophrenia tend to have suboptimal lifestyles including unhealthy diets, excessive smoking and alcohol use, and lack of exercise. Second, antipsychotic drugs may have adverse effects. Third, physical illnesses in persons with schizophrenia are common, but diagnosed late and treated insufficiently. Lastly, the risk of suicide and accidents among schizophrenic patients is high.

SUMMARY

Schizophrenia is associated with a substantially higher mortality and curtailed life expectancy partly caused by modifiable risk factors.

How does a history of psychiatric hospital care influence access to coronary care: a cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Equity in physical health of patients with severe mental disorders is a major public health concern. The aim of this cohort study was to examine equity in access to coronary care among persons with a history of severe mental disorder in 1998-2009.

DESIGN

Nationwide register linkage cohort study.

SETTING

Hospital care in the Finnish healthcare system.

POPULATION

The study population consisted of all residents in Finland aged 40 years or older. All hospital discharges in 1998-2009 with a diagnosis of coronary heart disease or severe mental disorder were obtained from the Care Register.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Data on deaths, hospitalisations and coronary revascularisations were linked to the data set using unique personal identifiers.

RESULTS

Patients with severe mental disorders had increased likelihood of hospital care due to coronary heart disease (RR between 1.22, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.25 and 1.93, 1.84 to 2.03 in different age groups) and in 40-49-year-olds also increased likelihood of revascularisation (1.26, 1.16 to 1.38) compared with persons without mental disorders. Access to revascularisation was poorer among older persons with severe mental disorders in relation to need suggested by increased coronary mortality. In spite of excess coronary mortality (ranging from 0.95, 0.89 to 1.01 to 3.16, 2.82 to 3.54), worst off were people with a history of psychosis, who did not have increased use of hospital care and had lower likelihood of receiving revascularisations (ranging from 0.44, 0.37 to 0.51 to 0.74, 0.59 to 0.93) compared with persons without mental disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Selective mechanisms seem to be at work in access to care and revascularisations among people with severe mental disorders. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the need for targeted measures to address challenges in provision of somatic care among people with severe mental health problems, especially among people with psychoses and old people.

Guideline concordant monitoring of metabolic risk in people treated with antipsychotic medication: systematic review and meta-analysis of screening practices

BACKGROUND

Despite increased cardiometabolic risk in individuals with mental illness taking antipsychotic medication, metabolic screening practices are often incomplete or inconsistent.

METHOD

We undertook a systematic search and a PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) meta-analysis of studies examining routine metabolic screening practices in those taking antipsychotics both for patients in psychiatric care before and following implementation of monitoring guidelines.

RESULTS

We identified 48 studies (n=290 534) conducted between 2000 and 2011 in five countries; 25 studies examined predominantly schizophrenia-spectrum disorder populations; 39 studies (n=218 940) examined routine monitoring prior to explicit guidelines; and nine studies (n=71 594) reported post-guideline monitoring. Across 39 studies, routine baseline screening was generally low and above 50% only for blood pressure [69.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 50.9-85.8] and triglycerides (59.9%, 95% CI 36.6-81.1). Cholesterol was measured in 41.5% (95% CI 18.0-67.3), glucose in 44.3% (95% CI 36.3-52.4) and weight in 47.9% (95% CI 32.4-63.7). Lipids and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) were monitored in less than 25%. Rates were similar for schizophrenia patients, in US and UK studies, for in-patients and out-patients. Monitoring was non-significantly higher in case-record versus database studies and in fasting samples. Following local/national guideline implementation, monitoring improved for weight (75.9%, CI 37.3-98.7), blood pressure (75.2%, 95% CI 45.6-95.5), glucose (56.1%, 95% CI 43.4-68.3) and lipids (28.9%, 95% CI 20.3-38.4). Direct head-to-head pre-post-guideline comparison showed a modest but significant (15.4%) increase in glucose testing (p=0.0045).

CONCLUSIONS

In routine clinical practice, metabolic monitoring is concerningly low in people prescribed antipsychotic medication. Although guidelines can increase monitoring, most patients still do not receive adequate testing.

Are there modifiable risk factors which will reduce the excess mortality in schizophrenia?

The 2009 World Health Organization report on global health risks identifies hypertension, smoking, raised glucose, physical inactivity, obesity and dyslipidaemia, in that order, as being the top six modifiable global mortality risk factors. Patients with schizophrenia have high levels of all these risk factors. There are a small number of studies showing that interventions can improve these, but prospective long-term studies are not available to show their impact on mortality. A number of studies are now supporting the view that patients with schizophrenia may be dying prematurely as they are not gaining access to or receiving the same medical care as the general population. The literature now suggests that low cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength are among the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality in the general population. Smoking is still one of the largest risk factors for premature all-cause mortality. The literature supports the thesis that lifestyle intervention programmes addressing exercise, smoking cessation and compliance with medication are likely to have significant impact on mortality in schizophrenia. It will be important to ensure that all patients with schizophrenia have advocates to ensure appropriate treatment and avoid prejudice, and to establish fitness standards in schizophrenia.

Receipt of preventive medical care and medical screening for patients with mental illness: a comparative analysis

BACKGROUND

There has been long-standing concern about the delivery of preventive and screening services to patients with mental illness.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine whether the quality of preventive care received by patients with mental health conditions differs from that received by individuals who have no comparable mental disorder. Our hypothesis was that patients with mental illness would be in receipt of lower quality or lower frequency of preventive care.

METHOD

Studies that examined the quality of care in those with and without comorbid mental illness were reviewed and comparative data extracted. By using only comparative studies we hope to ascertain whether inequalities in care existed by virtue of psychiatric diagnoses (or closely affiliated factors).

RESULTS

We identified 26 studies that examined preventive care in individuals with vs. without psychiatric illness. From these eligible studies, 61 comparisons were documented across 13 health care domains. These included mammography, cervical smears, vaccinations, cholesterol screening, lifestyle counseling, colonoscopy. Twenty-seven comparisons revealed inferior preventive health care in those with mental illness, but 10 suggested superior preventive health care and 24 reached inconclusive findings. Inferior preventive care was most apparent in those with schizophrenia and in relation to osteoporosis screening, blood pressure monitoring, vaccinations, mammography and cholesterol monitoring.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude there is strong evidence to suggest that the quality of preventive and screening services received by patients with mental illness is often lower, but occasionally superior to that received by individuals who have no comparable mental disorder. More work must be done to improve the quality of medical and preventive care for individuals with mental illness.