Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Aug 15;8(8):390-396.
doi: 10.4239/wjd.v8.i8.390.

Prevalence of obesity and diabetes in patients with schizophrenia

Aniyizhai Annamalai  1 , Urska Kosir  1 , Cenk Tek  1
Affiliations

Prevalence of obesity and diabetes in patients with schizophrenia

Aniyizhai Annamalai et al. World J Diabetes. .

Abstract

Aim: To compare the prevalence of diabetes in patients with schizophrenia treated at a community mental health center with controls in the same metropolitan area and to examine the effect of antipsychotic exposure on diabetes prevalence in schizophrenia patients.

Methods: The study was a comprehensive chart review of psychiatric notes of patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder treated at a psychosis program in a community mental health center. Data collected included psychiatric diagnoses, diabetes mellitus diagnosis, medications, allergies, primary care status, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), substance use and mental status exam. Local population data was downloaded from the Centers for Disease Control Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Statistical methods used were χ2 test, Student's t test, general linear model procedure and binary logistic regression analysis.

Results: The study sample included 326 patients with schizophrenia and 1899 subjects in the population control group. Demographic data showed control group was on average 7.6 years older (P = 0.000), more Caucasians (78.7% vs 38.3%, P = 0.000), and lower percentage of males (40.7% vs 58.3%, P = 0.000). Patients with schizophrenia had a higher average BMI than the subjects in the population control (32.11, SD = 7.72 vs 27.62, SD = 5.93, P = 0.000). Patients with schizophrenia had a significantly higher percentage of obesity (58.5% vs 27%, P = 0.000) than the population group. The patients with schizophrenia also had a much higher rate of diabetes compared to population control (23.9% vs 12.2%, P = 0.000). After controlling for age sex, and race, having schizophrenia was still associated with increased risk for both obesity (OR = 3.25, P = 0.000) and diabetes (OR = 2.42, P = 0.000). The increased risk for diabetes remained even after controlling for obesity (OR = 1.82, P = 0.001). There was no difference in the distribution of antipsychotic dosage, second generation antipsychotic use or multiple antipsychotic use within different BMI categories or with diabetes status in the schizophrenia group.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the high prevalence of obesity and diabetes in schizophrenia patients and indicates that antipsychotics may not be the only contributor to this risk.

Keywords: Antipsychotic; Body mass index; Diabetes; Obesity; Schizophrenia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: None of the authors have any conflict of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Body mass index categories for schizophrenia patients vs population (%). BMI: Body mass index.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Obesity class categories; schizophrenia patients vs population (%).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Diabetes mellitus prevalence in schizophrenia vs population (%).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Brown S. Excess mortality of schizophrenia. A meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry. 1997;171:502–508. - PubMed
    1. Colton CW, Manderscheid RW. Congruencies in increased mortality rates, years of potential life lost, and causes of death among public mental health clients in eight states. Prev Chronic Dis. 2006;3:A42. - PMC - PubMed
    1. DE Hert M, Schreurs V, Vancampfort D, VAN Winkel R. Metabolic syndrome in people with schizophrenia: a review. World Psychiatry. 2009;8:15–22. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Annamalai A, Tek C. An overview of diabetes management in schizophrenia patients: office based strategies for primary care practitioners and endocrinologists. Int J Endocrinol. 2015;2015:969182. - PMC - PubMed
    1. De Hert M, Schreurs V, Sweers K, Van Eyck D, Hanssens L, Sinko S, Wampers M, Scheen A, Peuskens J, van Winkel R. Typical and atypical antipsychotics differentially affect long-term incidence rates of the metabolic syndrome in first-episode patients with schizophrenia: a retrospective chart review. Schizophr Res. 2008;101:295–303. - PubMed