FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME IN PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS IN MEXICO

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a public health problem globally and nationally, with a prevalence of up to 26%; associated with mental disorders, the magnitude and chronicity may be increased. Methods: We carried out a clinical, cross sectional study of a secondary database of patients (n = 216) with mental illness. We used descriptive analysis, bivariate analysis and a logistic regression model with STATA software in order to define factors associated with MS. Results: The prevalence of MS was 28.7%. Raw odds ratios (OR) indicated a significant association between MS and gender (women), weight (being overweight or obese), a family history of obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and age (above 35 years old). When adjusted for all other variables, only gender (OR 4, 23), weight (OR 1.07) and age (OR 2.31) remained significantly associated with MS. Notably, none of the mental health-related variables were significantly associated with MS. Conclusions: Within this population, being female and over 35 years old were the most important risk factors for MS. In future studies, it will be important to determine how variables related to mental health might interact with gender, age, and metabolic and cardiovascular variables, in order to define a risk profile for patients with mental disorders.