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Cardiovascular disease in patients with schizophrenia in Saskatchewan, Canada

Suellen M Curkendall1, Jingping Mo, Dale B Glasser

  • 1Healthcare Data Analysis, Vienna, VA 22180, USA. Suellen.Curkendall@cox.net

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
|May 28, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Individuals with schizophrenia face elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality. This study highlights increased prevalence and incidence of conditions like heart failure, stroke, and diabetes in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Cardiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Schizophrenia is associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality rates.
  • Population-based data on CVD prevalence, incidence, and mortality in schizophrenia patients are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence, incidence, and mortality of cardiovascular disease in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.
  • To compare cardiovascular outcomes between schizophrenia patients and a matched general population cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study using Saskatchewan Health databases (1994-1999).
  • Identified 3022 schizophrenia patients (ICD-9 code 295) and matched them with 4 controls without mental disorders.
  • Analyzed prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity (1994-1995) and incidence/mortality (1996-1999).

Main Results:

  • Schizophrenia patients showed increased odds of arrhythmia, syncope, heart failure, stroke, transient cerebral ischemia, and diabetes.
  • Significantly increased incidence of ventricular arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality.
  • No significant difference in odds for acute myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease.

Conclusions:

  • Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit a substantially higher risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality compared to the general population.
  • Findings underscore the need for targeted cardiovascular care in schizophrenia management.
Abstract

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