The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients with different diagnoses who use antidepressant medication

Antidepressant medications are often associated with weight gain and metabolic abnormalities in vulnerable patients. It is well known that obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes are associated with a large number of deaths all over the world. Patients with such psychiatric disorders as depression and anxiety are at higher risk for cardiac mortality compared with the general population.The original description of metabolic syndrome (MS) comprised obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes, and dyslipitemia, characterized by elevated triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations. In addition to choosing an appropriate antidepressant, the clinician has to check the lipit profiles and blood glucose of these patients on a regular basis. Most importantly, regular physical exercise, which has several positive effects on weight gain, serum cholesterol levels, blood pressure and type-II diabetes, needs to be emphasized as a component of treatment.The study comprised 17 male, 53 female, total 70 depressive disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disordered patients treated with antidepressants who had applied to Firat University Firat Medical Center Department of Psychiatry as out patients and had been diagnosed according to the criteria of DSM-IV. The patients were administered the sociodemographical data form, HAS, HDS, Y-BOCS and SCID. In the patients who were met the study criteria, glucose, triglyceride, cholesterole, and subtypes levels were obtained.In our study MS frequency was %32,8 in total patient group; the highest MS frequency was found in clomipramine (% 50), paroxetine (%40), venlafaxine (%40), panic disorder (% 42,8), obsessive compulsive disorder (%40) groups. Further study is needed to clarify this subject.