Metabolic syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder: a naturalistic Italian study

The increased risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder has been documented. No study examined MetS in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), despite the fact that a great proportion of them are treated with antipsychotic addition. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence and the sociodemographic and clinical correlates of MetS in an Italian sample of patients with OCD.

Subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, OCD and a Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale score ≥ 16 were included. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, current and lifetime pharmacological treatments, lifestyle information, and comorbidity for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes were collected. MetS was diagnosed according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III modified criteria.

We enrolled 104 patients with OCD. MetS was present in 21.2% (95% confidence interval: 13.7%-30.3%) of the sample. Abdominal obesity was present in 36.5%, hypertension in 42.3%, high triglycerides in 23.1%, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in 22.1% and fasting hyperglycemia in 4.8% of the sample. MetS was associated with cigarette smoking (duration of cigarette smoking), absence of physical activity, a higher body mass index and a greater proportion of obesity. Among pharmacological treatments, MetS was associated with the duration of the exposure (lifetime) to antipsychotics.

This is the first study that examined the prevalence and correlates of MetS in a sample of patients with OCD. Our cross-sectional evaluation found a prevalence of MetS higher than those reported in the Italian general population, although the confidence interval encompasses the general population estimate reported. Patients with OCD on antipsychotic treatment are particularly at risk for MetS and should be carefully monitored for metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular complications.