People withsevere mental illnesses are 53% more likely to have cardiovascular disease thanthose without mental illness, say researchers.
The team fromKing’s College London looked at 3.2 million people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression and found that riskof dying from disease was 85% higher in these people than the generalpopulation.
Dr Brendon Stubbs from the Institute ofPsychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London,said: “These findings are a stark reminder that people with severe mentalillness are being left behind, at a time when the health of the generalpopulation as a whole appears to be benefitting from public health initiativesto reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.
“People with severe mental illness diemuch earlier than those without these disorders, yet the majority of thesepremature deaths may be preventable with care that prioritises lifestylechanges, such as exercise, better nutrition and stopping smoking, along withcautious prescribing of antipsychotics.”
This new study is the largest evermeta-analysis of severe mental illness and cardiovascular disease, includingover 3.2 million patients and more than 113 million people from the generalpopulation.
The researchers examined 92 studies acrossfour continents and 16 different countries, including the US, UK, France,Australia and Sweden.
