Frequency of Metabolic Syndrome in Schizophrenic Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in schizophrenic patients in a tertiary care hospital. METHODOLOGY This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, PGMI Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan, from March 2023 to February 2024. A total of 196 schizophrenic patients were studied. After obtaining permission from the hospital's ethical committee and consent from patients included in the study, metabolic syndrome was diagnosed based on the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology criteria (2003). All the data, like age, gender, height, weight, BMI, smoking status, and metabolic syndrome, were recorded in a pre-designed proforma. All the data were analyzed in SPSS version 20. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for numerical variables, and frequencies and percentages for qualitative variables. The Chi-square test for categorical variables was applied with a p-value of < 0.05 as significant. Results were presented in the form of tables and charts. RESULTSThe mean and standard deviation of age, height, weight, and BMI were 35.72±13.28, 164.80±11.50, 71.87±13.60 and 27.00±6.96, respectively. Out of 196 schizophrenic patients, 59 patients had metabolic syndrome, making up 31.1%, while 69.9% of patients had no metabolic syndrome. Of 196 schizophrenic patients, 106 were female, and 90 were male, making 54.1% and 45.9%, respectively, of all schizophrenic patients. Among 196 patients, 28 were from the BMI group < 18kg/m2, 71 from the BMI group 18-24kg/m2, 51 from the BMI group 25-30kg/m2, and 46 from the BMI group> 30kg/m2 making 14.3%, 36.2%, 26.0% and 23.5% respectively. Metabolic syndrome was statistically significant in age and BMI groups using the chi-square test with a p-value < 0.05 as significant. CONCLUSION The metabolic syndrome affects individuals with schizophrenia, particularly among older patients and those with a high BMI. Significant associations were observed with age and BMI, but gender and smoking status did not show significant differences.