[The risk of developing cardiovascular disease in bipolar disorder. Biological factors and therapy]

Bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the most common mental disorders characterized by alternating episodes of mania/hypomania and depression, as well as the possibility of developing mixed conditions. Correct and timely diagnosis of BD is important due to the presence of a high suicidal risk and a high predisposition to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The risk of CVD is higher in ВD than in other mental disorders.

A sample assessment was made of current studies focusing on the vascular-bipolar link. The search was carried out in the PubMed and eLIBRARY databases for the following keywords: bipolar disorder, psychopharmacology, cardiovascular disease, biological mediators.

There are several biological factors which explain the close association and common pathogenetic mechanisms of BD and CVD. The most interesting of them are inflammation, oxidative stress, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Neuroimaging methods have shown similar structural brain changes in people with BD and with CVD. There is some evidence of the efficacy of statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in reducing cardio-vascular risk factors in BD patients.

The predisposition of patients of BD to CVD is beyond doubt. It is necessary to consider the peculiarities of the course of BD and conduct active monitoring and preventive measures to reduce the risk of developing life-threatening CVDs. Further research focused on the pathogenetic relationship between BD and CVD could provide more insight into this area.