Ayerbe L, et al. – The current study was interested in exploring hypertension (HTN) risk and clinical care in patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) or schizophrenia through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Researchers reported that bipolar disorders were related to an increased risk of hypertension, however, there was no evidence of the relationship between schizophrenia and hypertension. They observed that patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia received a poor care of hypertension.

Methods

• From database inception to June 2017, prospective studies were searched in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and the Web of Science.
• After that, a meta-analysis was undertaken to acquire pooled estimates of the risk of HTN.

Results

• According to the findings obtained, 5 studies reporting the risk of HTN, and 5 studies presenting differences in its clinical care, were identified.
• They observed an increased risk of HTN for BPD patients, with an overall Incidence Rate Ratio 1.27(1.15–1.40).
• Data reported that the pooled Incidence Rate Ratio of HTN for those with schizophrenia was 0.94 (0.75 – 1.14).
• They found that a poorer care of HTN (lower rates of screening, prescription, and adherence) was reported in 4 studies of schizophrenia, and 2 of BPD patients, compared to people without these conditions.