Cardiometabolic comorbidities and life expectancy in people on medication for schizophrenia in Australia

This study aimed to assess the risks of people on medication for schizophrenia developing different components of the metabolic syndrome and their life expectancy, through reference to a representative population of Australians without schizophrenia.

Pharmacy payment-claim records from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme were analyzed based on a representative 10% sample of Medicare numbers supplied by the Department of Human Services. Records were analyzed based on the date of supply of the prescription and the dataset included year of death information. Two major analyses were conducted for 9,533 people on medication for schizophrenia and a 1:1 sex/age matched control, followed for up to 7 years. Patient life expectancy was estimated by performing a Kaplan Meier survival analysis.

People on medication for schizophrenia compared to controls were 1.91-times (95% CI = 1.66-2.21) and 1.28-times (95% CI = 1.15-1.43) more likely to start treatment for diabetes and hyperlipidemia, respectively, but were no more likely to start treatment for hypertension (hazard ratio = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.78-0.97). Overall, people on medication for schizophrenia were 1.32-times more likely to start treatment for one of these three comorbidities. Median life expectancy was assessed as 80 years for people on medication for schizophrenia, and 91 years for controls.

The results for this study confirm in a large representative Australian sample of people on medication for schizophrenia, an excess risk of components of the metabolic syndrome and early death.