Abstract
BackgroundIt has been known for a long time that use of antipsychotics, particularly atypical antipsychotics, is associated with weight gain and increase in risk of metabolic disturbances. In this study we have tried to find out if use of antipsychotics is associated with increase in weight and body mass index (BMI) in the Pakistani population.MethodsWe performed a case note review of all patients who had been prescribed antipsychotic medication at the psychiatry outpatient clinic of a tertiary care university hospital in Pakistan over a 4-year period.ResultsA total of 50% of patients had a BMI in the overweight or higher range at baseline. Patients showed a mean weight gain of 1.88 kg from baseline in 3 months and 3.29 kg in 6 months. Both of these values were statistically significant. The increase in mean BMI from baseline was 0.74 and 1.3 in 3 months and 6 months, respectively. In patients for whom we had at least one further weight measurement after baseline, 48% (39/81) showed a clinically significant weight gain.ConclusionPakistani patients are just as likely to put on weight during antipsychotic treatment as patients from other countries. Considering that this population already has a much higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus compared to the Western countries, the consequences of increased weight may be even more serious in terms of increased morbidity and mortality.
Highlights
It has been known for a long time that use of antipsychotics, atypical antipsychotics, is associated with weight gain and increase in risk of metabolic disturbances
The first reports of an increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance in people suffering from schizophrenia appeared in the literature several years before the first antipsychotic became available[4,5]
We found a total of 145 patients who had been seen at least once in the psychiatry clinic of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and had been prescribed an antipsychotic medication
Summary
It has been known for a long time that use of antipsychotics, atypical antipsychotics, is associated with weight gain and increase in risk of metabolic disturbances. The first reports of an increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance in people suffering from schizophrenia appeared in the literature several years before the first antipsychotic became available[4,5]. Since many studies have been published firmly establishing a clear link between antipsychotics and diabetes mellitus, more with atypical than typical antipsychotics [7,8,9,10]. This led to a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendation in 2003 for including a warning about association with hyperglycae-
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call