Association Between Accelerated Atherosclerosis and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels in Bipolar Disorder...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular health in mental illness
• Inflammation and atherosclerosis research
• Psychiatric disorder comorbidities

Background:

• Bipolar disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) patients face higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Systemic inflammation is implicated in CVD development in these populations.
• This study investigates the link between inflammation (hs-CRP) and atherosclerosis (cIMT) in BPD and SCZ.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in physically healthy patients with BPD and SCZ.
• To determine the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and cIMT in these patient groups.
• To explore potential inflammatory pathways contributing to accelerated atherosclerosis in BPD and SCZ.

Main Methods:

• Recruited physically healthy outpatients with BPD or SCZ (DSM-5) and healthy controls (aged 20-60).
• Measured cIMT using high-resolution carotid ultrasound.
• Analyzed fasting blood samples for hs-CRP and lipid profiles; collected clinical data.

Main Results:

• Patients with BPD and SCZ exhibited significantly higher cIMT and hs-CRP levels than controls.
• In BPD, hs-CRP was independently associated with increased cIMT after multivariate adjustment.
• In SCZ, only age was significantly associated with cIMT; lipids and smoking were not significant predictors in either group.

Conclusions:

• Physically healthy patients with BPD and SCZ demonstrate accelerated atherosclerosis (increased cIMT) before old age.
• The association between hs-CRP and cIMT is present in BPD but not SCZ.
• Chronic low-grade inflammation may play a more significant role in early vascular changes in BPD compared to SCZ.