The cardiovascular and respiratory health of people with schizophrenia

• Published in: Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica Vol. 113; no. 4; pp. 298 - 305
• Main Authors: Filik, R., Sipos, A., Kehoe, P. G., Burns, T., Cooper, S. J., Stevens, H., Laugharne, R., Young, G., Perrington, S., McKendrick, J., Stephenson, D., Harrison, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2006; Blackwell
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Demography; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; England - epidemiology; Female; Health; Humans; Hypertension - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Middle Aged; physical health; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Psychotic Disorders - diagnosis; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Respiration Disorders - epidemiology; Respiration Disorders - physiopathology; Respiratory system; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Severity of Illness Index; Smoking - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; England; United Kingdom; UK; Psychosis; Schizophrenia; physical health; Respiration; Health
• ISSN: 0001-690X; 1600-0447
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2006.00768.x

Objective:  To examine the cardiovascular and respiratory health of people with severe mental illness (SMI) and compare findings with the Health Surveys for England. Method:  A prospective, multi‐centre observational prevalence study of 602 patients with schizophrenia‐related psychoses carried out in six locations across the UK over 24 months. Results:  Compared with general population subjects, people with SMI reported higher rates of angina and respiratory symptoms and had poor lung function. Much of this increased risk could be explained by lifestyle risk factors; there were increased levels of obesity among younger people with SMI. Conclusion:  Key indicators of the cardiovascular and respiratory health of people with SMI are poor compared with those of the general population. Care plans should prioritize interventions to attenuate lifestyle risk factors. Evidence of increasing obesity in younger patients is of particular concern, predicting even greater health needs in the future.