Psychiatry Research EG

Introduction Obesity and metabolic disorders cause significant economic burden and affect the quality of life in both the general population and patients with mood disorder. The metabolic syndrome (MetS) and bipolar disorder (BD) appear to share common risk factors. Several studies discovered that the rate of MetS in patients with BD was twice as high as in the general population. In addition, bipolar patients with MetS often had more complicated metabolic and cardiac problems, more adverse outcomes and poor response to treatment. Aim This study was conducted to detect the MetS and its association with sociodemographic and clinical variables in a sample of patients with mood disorders admitted to Kuwait Center for Mental Health. Patients and methods The sample consisted of 157 adult patients having mood disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders – text revised – and were admitted in Kuwait Center for Mental Health in the period from April 2013 to September 2013. The Third Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program, the American Heart Association (ATP III-A) and International Diabetes Federation criteria were used to define MetS. Results The prevalence of MetS among BDs patients was 37.6% (n =57). The prevalence of MetS among major depressive disorder patients was 17.1%. The prevalence of MetS increased with age and duration of illness. Conclusion The prevalence of the MetS among BDs patients is high (37.6%). Although this study found that the prevalence of MetS in BDs patients was according to ATP III (24.8%), it is increased when ATP III-A (35.0%) and International Diabetes Federation (36.3%) were taken into account. There are statistically significant differences between patients with MetS and those without MetS as regards age and duration of the illness. Keywords: bipolar disorders, metabolic syndrome, mood disorders