[The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and metabolic syndrome: an overview]

In this article we discuss the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and metabolic syndrome (MbS).

To assess the prevalence of MbS in patients with PTSD, establish which factors are involved and to consider what the implications are for clinical practice.

We performed a systematic search of the literature, using Medline, Embase Psychiatry and PsycINFO covering the period January 1990 up to and including October 2014.

We found 12 studies including one meta-analysis which showed large variations in the prevalence of MbS in patients with PTSD; these variations ranged between 7.7% to 73.0%. The PTSD and its severity as well as the comorbid depression and the use of antipsychotics all played a role in the wide discrepancies of the results. Furthermore, the reported results seem to indicate that many methodologies were used in these studies. The reasons for the large differences found in the prevalence of MbS in PTSD patients are complex: the variations are probably due mainly to the different methodologies that were used. The prevalence of MbS which stood out in a positive sense varied between 31.9% and 47.8%.

To obtain greater clarity, more quantitative and descriptive studies are needed, in which the screening is performed on a PTSD-subgroup with severe PTSD, a severe comorbid depression and/or antipsychotic use. The studies should use method control for diagnoses of PTSD, depression, severity of both and of MbS.