Abstract

Background and Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental condition with a lifetime prevalence estimated around 2% among the general population. Due to risk factors, etiological mechanisms, and the chronic use of psychotropic medications, people with BD are frequently affected by medical comorbidities, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), associated with altered blood levels of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Moreover, the lipid concentration may be associated with the severity of psychiatric symptoms. Materials and Methods: Five hundred and forty-two in- and outpatients (418 affected by BD and 124 affected by schizophrenia) were recruited in two Italian university hospitals. A blood examination assessing the fasting glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides was performed. Results: No significant differences were found in the lipid and glycemic profiles between patients with BD and schizophrenia. When considering only the BD sample, we found that patients experiencing a manic episode had significantly lower total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL than euthymic patients. Moreover, the total and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly lower in (hypo)manic than depressed patients. Mood episodes did not influence the triglyceride and glucose levels in our sample. Conclusions: Clinicians should pay attention to blood cholesterol levels in patients with BD, as differences in concentrations may predispose them to severe medical conditions and can be associated with the onset of mood episodes.

Highlights

  • Bipolar disorder (BD) is a group of affective disorders characterized by the presence of recurring manic or hypomanic episodes that may alternate with major depressive episodes [1]

  • Considering only subjects with a primary diagnosis of BD, and after excluding the patients for whom no information regarding the current mood episode was available (N = 171), we investigated the differences in the levels of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides among patients experiencing different BD phases

  • The present study primarily aimed to compare some components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with BD and schizophrenia, two severe mental illnesses that share many genetic and environmental risk factors [35]

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Summary

Introduction

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a group of affective disorders characterized by the presence of recurring manic or hypomanic episodes that may alternate with major depressive episodes [1]. Given its features and prevalence, BD ranks as the 17th leading source of disability among all diseases worldwide [4] It is associated with high rates of premature mortality due to both medical comorbidities and high suicide rates [1]. Etiological mechanisms, and the chronic use of psychotropic medications, people with BD are frequently affected by medical comorbidities, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), associated with altered blood levels of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. The total and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly lower in (hypo)manic than depressed patients. Conclusions: Clinicians should pay attention to blood cholesterol levels in patients with BD, as differences in concentrations may predispose them to severe medical conditions and can be associated with the onset of mood episodes

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