Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Schizophrenia: A Mini Review Ratna Varshita Veerni Jaya*, Vempadapu Monika, Kolakota Raj kiran, Mugada Vinodkumar Department of Pharmacy Practice, Vignan Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, Beside VSEZ, Duvvada, Andhra Pradesh, India-530049 *Corresponding Author E-mail: varshitavjr.10@gmail.com
Online published on 3 July, 2019. Abstract Schizophrenia is one of the major causes of increased mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is a growing concern that this condition is not fully understood and efficiently addressed. The mortality is due to premature cardiovascular deaths rather than suicide. Most of the anti-psychotropic agents are orexigenic and they increase weight and promote dyslipidemia. Cardiac risk factors are undertreated among patients with schizophrenia, and they are less likely to receive cardiac revascularisation than those without a mental illness. Various factors which increase the cardiovascular risk are antipsychotic medications and lifestyle (e.g., smoking, general neglect of health, poor diet and decreased access to health care services) in schizophrenic patients. Publications were searched based on various search terms and the databases included are PUBMED; SCIENCE DIRECT and TRIP databases. Data extraction was carried out to record the following; author, year of publication, type of study, study participants, sample size, questionnaires, and assessment tools. The risk for cardiovascular-related deaths in people with schizophrenia is increased, but their underlying mechanisms are not fully known. Coordinated interventions, thorough monitoring, in different healthcare settings could probably reduce the risk. There is an urgent need to develop and implement effective programs to increase life expectancy in schizophrenia, and we argue that mental health workers should be more involved in this important task. Top Keywords Schizophrenia, cardiovascular diseases, risk, prevalence. Top |