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Increased Framingham 10-year CVD risk in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

Yi Hang Tay1, Milawaty Nurjono2, Jimmy Lee3

  • 1Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Schizophrenia Research
|April 18, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Patients with schizophrenia have a significantly higher 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and vascular age difference compared to controls. Smoking cessation and metabolic syndrome screening are crucial for reducing this excess CVD risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Schizophrenia is linked to higher mortality, primarily due to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) estimates 10-year CVD risk and vascular age.
  • Understanding CVD risk factors in schizophrenia is critical for preventative strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the cardiovascular risk profile in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.
  • To investigate the predictive role of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on CVD risk in this population.
  • To test the hypothesis that schizophrenia patients have elevated 10-year CVD risk.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited 83 Chinese schizophrenia patients and 243 community controls.
  • Collected medical histories, smoking status, and anthropometric data.
  • Measured fasting lipid and glucose levels; calculated 10-year CVD risk and vascular age difference (VAdiff) using FRS.

Main Results:

  • Schizophrenia patients exhibited a higher mean 10-year CVD risk (4.6% vs. 3.1%) and VAdiff (4.6 years vs. 0.6 years) compared to controls.
  • Both smoking and MetS significantly contributed to CVD risk in schizophrenia patients.
  • Smoking had a more substantial impact on CVD risk than MetS.

Conclusions:

  • Patients with schizophrenia demonstrate significantly elevated 10-year CVD risk and VAdiff.
  • Smoking cessation interventions are vital for this patient group.
  • Screening for metabolic syndrome is recommended to mitigate excess cardiovascular risk.
Abstract

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