Bipolar disorders tied to heightened risk of developing metabolic syndrome

A recent study published in Acta Neuropsychiatrica has concluded that Patients with a history of bipolar disorders are at higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than healthy individuals.

In this cross-sectional study, the study group had 125 untreated individuals with bipolar disorders. The control group had 201 cases collected from the hospital's health examination centre. The participants were assessed for general demographic data, case characteristics, and metabolic indexes. This includes BMI, BP, triglyceride, HDL-C, cholesterol, LDL-C, and fasting plasma glucose. Researchers observed the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in untreated individuals with bipolar disorders.

Key results of the study are:

• In the bipolar disorder group, metabolic syndrome incidence was higher than in the control group, 9.6% vs 8.5%.
• The difference between the groups was significant.
• Bipolar disorder had higher diastolic and systolic blood pressure than the control group.
• Compared to women, Men with bipolar disorders had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome (14.5% vs. 5.8%).
• The independent Risk factors identified for metabolic syndrome were Bipolar disorders, sex, age, and BMI.
• There was no significant difference in metabolic index and incidence of metabolic syndrome between individuals with depressive episodes and manic episodes.

The risk of developing metabolic syndrome is higher in patients with bipolar disorders, says Dr Liu Q from the Mental Health Institute of Hebei Medical University, China.

Bipolar disorders, male sex, age, and BMI contribute to the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

Reference:

Lundsgaard, Christoffer C., et al. "Blood-brain Barrier Permeability and Electroconvulsive Therapy - a Systematic Review." Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 2023, pp. 1-21.