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Increased cardiometabolic dysfunction in first-degree relatives of patients with psychotic disorders

Suraj Sarvode Mothi1, Neeraj Tandon2, Jaya Padmanabhan3

  • 1Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School-Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.

Schizophrenia Research
|April 23, 2015
PubMed

Insights

First-degree relatives of individuals with psychosis have an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction (CMD). This suggests shared genetic factors between psychosis and CMD, highlighting the need for early screening in at-risk families.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Genetics
  • Cardiology
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • Severe psychotic disorders like schizophrenia (SZ), schizoaffective (SZA), and bipolar disorder (BP-P) are frequently comorbid with cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction (CMD).
  • Both psychosis and CMD exhibit significant heritability, suggesting potential shared genetic underpinnings.
  • Previous research consistently reports a high prevalence of CMD in patients diagnosed with severe psychotic disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction (CMD) in first-degree relatives of individuals diagnosed with severe psychotic disorders.
  • To explore potential shared genetic factors contributing to both psychosis and CMD by examining CMD occurrence in relatives.
  • To compare CMD prevalence across different psychotic disorder diagnoses (SZ, SZA, BP-P) and their relatives.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study involving 861 probands with SZ, SZA, or BP-P, 776 first-degree relatives, and 416 healthy controls.
  • Logistic regression analysis was employed to compare the prevalence of CMD (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease) across the studied groups.
  • Post hoc tests assessed CMD prevalence across psychosis diagnoses in both probands and their relatives.

Main Results:

  • First-degree relatives, irrespective of their own Axis I or Axis II disorders, showed a significantly higher risk for CMD compared to controls (p<0.001 and p=0.03).
  • No significant differences in CMD prevalence were found between relatives of SZ, SZA, and BP-P probands (p=0.42).
  • Similarly, no significant differences in CMD prevalence were observed among the psychosis diagnoses within the proband group (p=0.25).

Conclusions:

  • The increased prevalence of CMD in first-degree relatives of psychosis probands suggests a potential shared genetic etiology between psychosis and CMD.
  • This finding underscores the importance of considering the increased somatic disease burden in relatives of individuals with psychotic disorders.
  • Early detection and preventive strategies for CMD are recommended for relatives of psychosis patients to mitigate health risks.
Abstract

Keywords:
DiabetesHypertensionPsychotic disorderRelatives

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