Metabolic Syndrome and Psychosis: Role of Atypical Antipsychotics

Introduction The present study was conducted with the objective of assessing the incidence of metabolic syndrome in patients of psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, delusional disorders and other psychotic disorders) treated with atypical antipsychotics. We also aimed to study the various metabolic syndrome parameters in these patients i. e. dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, weight-changes and hypertension. Materials& Methods A hospital based prospective observational study was conducted in patients receiving atypical antipsychotics at Department of Psychiatry of a tertiary care centre. A total of 30 consecutive patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, delusional disorders and other psychotic disorders were taken in the study after obtaining informed consent. Blood pressure, waist circumference, fasting blood sugar levels, fasting triglyceride levels and fasting high density lipoprotein- cholesterol level (HDL-cholesterol) were investigated and recorded on a pre-designed proforma at baseline and at 6 and 12 weeks follow up. Results Out of the 30 cases, 16 were of schizophrenia, 8 were of acute of transient psychotic disorder, 4 have schizoaffective disorder and 2 had delusional disorder.16. Mean triglyceride levels, waist circumference and fasting blood sugar were significantly increased during each follow up in the course of treatment at 6 weeks and 12 weeks (p0.05). HDL levels were significantly reduced at 12 weeks follow up (p