Abstract:
Physical health of long tern1 psychiatric patients is commonly overlooked. Metabolic
syndrome (MS) which has already affected nearly one fourth of the general population is
increasingly being recognized among patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective
disorders (SSD). This is associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and
diabetes among SSD patients. There is dearth of data on the prevalence of MS among
psychiatric patients in Australia. This descriptive study aimed to find out the prevalence of
MS among SSD patients and to explore the incidence of MS among patients on clozapine.
All the consented patients from Northern Area Mental Health Services were included for the
prevalence study while the patients recently commenced on clozapine were followed up to
decide the incidence. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect
demographic data while biophysical and biochemical data were collected using relevant
instruments and laboratory investigations. Among the 74 patients participated, 62.5 percent
had MS which is approximately three times compared to general population. Clozapine
treatment significantly increased fasting blood glucose
