Screening for metabolic syndrome in older patients with severe mental illness

To evaluate metabolic screening of elderly patients with severe mental illness (SMI) in terms of newly detected metabolic abnormalities.

Prospective evaluation of the metabolic screening outcome data of 100 consecutive elderly outpatients with SMI, all with universal access to health services. We gathered data on previous diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia and assessed metabolic syndrome parameters. The findings were compared with those from a group of 124 healthy elderly.

In our patients with SMI (mean age: 69 years; 52% bipolar disorder, 48% schizophrenia), the frequency of metabolic syndrome was not higher compared with the healthy elderly. However, in 51% of the SMI sample, metabolic screening detected at least one metabolic abnormality in a patient with no prior history for that specific parameter.

Implementing routine screening for metabolic syndrome in elderly patients with SMI may reveal substantial rates of previously undetected metabolic abnormalities.