Background: The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with psychiatric disorders, almost double the prevalence
reported for the general population, is worrying. The aim of this study is to investigate the presence of metabolic syndrome and
inflammatory marker levels in patients with schizophrenia and recurrent depressive disorder in a Croatian psychiatric sample.
Subjects and methods: This study included 62 inpatients with schizophrenia and 62 with recurrent depressive disorder treated at
the Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Split, enrolled from November 2011 until May 2012. The cases were
compared to 124 healthy subjects from the general population.
Results: The presence of metabolic syndrome was found in 56.5% of the patients with schizophrenia and 53.2% of the patients
with depression, which was significantly more prevalent than in the control group (32.3%). The levels of inflammation markers (i.e.,
C-reactive protein and PAI-1) were significantly higher among patients with metabolic syndrome.
Conclusions: Patients with schizophrenia and recurrent depressive disorder demonstrate a high prevalence of metabolic
syndrome that is also related to inflammation processes. In the context of integrative medicine, clinicians and researchers should
consider psychiatric patients within a holistic approach
