Cela LR, et al. - This research was designed to investigate the risk of coronary vascular disease event (CVDE) and the prevalence metabolic syndrome (MS) and its cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in patients with severe mental illnesses enrolled in an assertive treatment community program (ATC) in Spain. Compared to those reported in the general population, the SMD patients enrolled in ATC programs had a 1.5-times higher prevalence of MS and 8 times higher CVDE10. In the SMD patients, individual CVRF were also higher. For patients with severe mental illnesses, prevention, early detection, and comprehensive treatment were important issues.

Methods

• A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed with all of the patients included in an ATC program in 2016 in a health area with 547,328 inhabitants in Galicia, Spain.
• The CVRF was identified in all the individuals.
• The researchers calculated MS and 10-year CVDE.
• Furthermore, they compared the prevalence of all traits in this cohort and the general population.

Results

• In this study, the 10-year median of coronary vascular disease event (CVDE10) was 8.4%.
• The researchers observed 41.2% of individuals with high CVDE10 (>5%).
• In men, the CVDE10 median was higher than women (10.5% vs 5.1%, p < 0.001).
• They detected MS in 50% of patients without differences between men and women (51.2 % vs 48.2%).
• They found a prevalence of 68% for smoking, 55% for dyslipidemia, 47% for obesity, 29% for impaired glucose metabolism, and 38% for hypertension.
• A higher prevalence of obesity measured by elevated waist circumference was observed in women (88.9% vs 55.6%, p=0.003).
• A higher prevalence of arterial hypertension was observed in men (46.6% vs 22.2%, p=0.0001).