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Cardiovascular risk factors for people with mental illness

S Davidson1, F Judd, D Jolley

  • 1Department of General Practice, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
|April 4, 2001
PubMed

Insights

People with chronic mental illness have higher cardiovascular disease risk factors like smoking and obesity. Interventions are needed to address these risks and reduce mortality in this vulnerable population.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Individuals with chronic mental illness experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease mortality.
  • Cardiovascular disease risk factors are prevalent in the general population, but their prevalence in those with mental illness is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in psychiatric outpatients.
  • To compare these risk factors with those in the general community.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 234 outpatients at a community mental health clinic in Melbourne, Australia.
  • Data collected included smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, salt intake, exercise levels, and history of hypercholesterolemia.

Main Results:

  • Psychiatric outpatients showed higher rates of smoking, overweight/obesity, insufficient exercise, and harmful alcohol and salt intake compared to the community sample.
  • No significant differences in hypertension prevalence were observed between groups.
  • Men with mental illness were less likely to undergo cholesterol screening than women.

Conclusions:

  • The high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in psychiatric outpatients likely contributes to their elevated cardiovascular mortality rates.
  • Further research is essential to develop and evaluate interventions for modifying these risk factors in this vulnerable group.
Abstract

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