Metabolic Syndrome and Its Associated Factors Among Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With Second-Generation Antipsychotics at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) encompasses a group of risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases, thereby increasing the mortality rate. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are known for these side effects. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS and its associated factors at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 3, 2022, to August 31, 2023. Fasting blood sugar and lipid analysis were performed using the Dimension® EXL™ 200 Integrated Chemistry System (Siemens Healthineers, Malvern, PA, USA). A diagnosis of MetS was established using the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP-III) criteria. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was employed, and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results A total of 271 participants were enrolled in the study. Most subjects were male (90%) and had a mean age of 34.2 years, with an SD of 10.5. Most participants (70.8%) had abnormal waist circumference, followed by lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) at 42.8%. The prevalence of MetS was 35.8%. Gender (being female) (adjusted odds ratio or AOR 3, 95% CI: 1.2-7.4; p = 0.02) and olanzapine use (AOR 2.2, 95% CI: 1.3-3.7; p = 0.005) were predictors of MetS. Conclusions MetS is highly prevalent in patients treated with SGAs. Being female and olanzapine use were predictors of MetS. Clinicians managing these patients should screen and monitor the metabolic components used to diagnose MetS.