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The effects of hypertension and body mass index on cognition in schizophrenia

Joseph I Friedman1, Sylvan Wallenstein, Erin Moshier

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1230, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA. jfriedman1@rcn.com

The American Journal of Psychiatry
|July 17, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Vascular risk factors like hypertension negatively impact cognition in schizophrenia patients. Treating these factors may improve cognitive function in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • Schizophrenia patients have a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.
  • These risk factors are linked to cognitive decline and dementia.
  • The impact of vascular risk factors on schizophrenia cognition is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if vascular risk factors affect cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
  • To compare the effects of vascular risk factors on cognition in schizophrenia versus non-psychiatric subjects.

Main Methods:

  • Compared 100 schizophrenia patients and 53 comparison subjects.
  • Assessed cognitive performance using 2x2 matrices based on vascular risk factors and group.

Main Results:

  • Hypertension significantly impaired immediate, delayed, and recognition memory in both groups.
  • Schizophrenia patients with hypertension showed worse recognition memory than controls.
  • Higher body mass index was linked to poorer delayed memory, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

  • Vascular risk factors significantly impact cognitive function in schizophrenia.
  • Targeting and treating vascular risk factors may enhance cognitive outcomes for schizophrenia patients.
  • Addressing undertreated vascular risk factors is crucial for improving schizophrenia patient cognition.
Abstract

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