Metabolic syndrome and its relation to antipsychotic polypharmacy in schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders

Karim Abdel Aziz, Hind Mohd Ahmed, Emmanuel Stip, Dina Aly El-Gabry

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been attributed to antipsychotic use in psychiatric patients. To date, there is limited data on the relationship between antipsychotic polypharmacy and MetS in patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the rate of MetS in patients with these disorders receiving antipsychotic monotherapy and polypharmacy. We conducted a cross-sectional study on patients seen between January 2017 and December 2020, collecting data on the class, type, route of administration and number of antipsychotics received. We used the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology criteria to diagnose MetS. We included 833 subjects of whom 573 (68.8%) received antipsychotic monotherapy and 260 (31.2%) received polypharmacy. Overall, 28.6% (N = 238) had MetS with no statistical difference between the two groups. Diastolic blood pressure and receiving olanzapine were significant predictors for developing MetS. In conclusion, our study found no significant difference in the rate of MetS between antipsychotic monotherapy and polypharmacy. A number of variables were significant predictors for MetS. Our findings were consistent with other studies and warrant the need for careful choice of antipsychotics and regular screening and management of abnormal metabolic parameters.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)257-266
Number of pages10
JournalInternational Clinical Psychopharmacology
Volume39
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 1 2024

Keywords

  • antipsychotic polypharmacy
  • bipolar disorder
  • metabolic syndrome
  • schizoaffective disorder
  • schizophrenia

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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