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Updated: Mar 13, 2026
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Is cerebrovascular disease a silent condition in patients with chronic schizophrenia-related disorders?
Nuria Berrocal-Izquierdo1, Miquel Bioque, Miguel Bernardo
1aDepartment of Neurology, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Dèu, Sant Boi de Llobregat bBarcelona Clinic Schizophrenia Unit, Neuroscience Institute, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Center for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM) cDepartment of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Biomedical Research Institute August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
Insights
Patients with schizophrenia-related disorders have a significantly higher risk of cerebrovascular morbidity. This risk may be linked to antipsychotic medications rather than traditional cardiovascular factors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Cardiology
Background:
- Patients with chronic schizophrenia-related disorders face increased cardiovascular disease risk.
- Cerebrovascular lesions in neuroimaging are a common challenge in this population.
- Existing literature on cerebrovascular disease in schizophrenia is limited and conflicting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between schizophrenia-related disorders and cerebrovascular morbidity.
- To compare cerebrovascular morbidity in patients with schizophrenia-related disorders versus other severe mental illnesses.
- To explore potential contributing factors beyond traditional cardiovascular risks.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed.
- Patients with schizophrenia-related disorder were compared to controls with other severe mental illnesses, matched for age and sex.
- Data on cerebrovascular morbidity and cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Patients with schizophrenia-related disorders exhibited a fourfold statistically significant higher risk of cerebrovascular morbidity.
- Both groups were comparable regarding traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
- Significant differences were observed in the duration of first-generation antipsychotic use and concurrent antipsychotic use.
Conclusions:
- The link between chronic schizophrenia-related disorders and cerebrovascular disease may extend beyond conventional cardiovascular risk factors.
- Antipsychotic medication use, particularly duration and polypharmacy, appears to be a significant factor.
- This study highlights the importance of considering medication effects in managing cerebrovascular health in schizophrenia patients.
Abstract:
Patients with chronic schizophrenia-related disorders are at a heightened risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The presence and interpretation of cerebral vascular lesions in neuroimaging tests in these patients represents a common clinical challenge. Nevertheless, the literature on cerebrovascular disease in this population is scarce and contradictory. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between schizophrenia-related disorders and cerebrovascular morbidity. A case-control study compared cerebrovascular morbidity in a group of patients with schizophrenia-related disorder versus a group of patients with another severe mental illness. The risk of presenting cerebrovascular morbidity was four times higher and statistically significant in patients with schizophrenia-related disorders compared with controls, paired by age and sex. However, both groups were homogeneous in terms of cardiovascular risk factors. There were significant differences between the two groups only in the time using first-generation antipsychotic drugs and taking two or more antipsychotic medications simultaneously. The relationship between chronic schizophrenia-related disorders and cerebrovascular disease may be beyond the classic cardiovascular risk factors and related to certain medications. This is one of the first studies to focus on the relation among cerebrovascular morbidity, antipsychotic drugs and disorders related to schizophrenia in middle-aged and elderly adults.
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