Abstract
Background:Schizophrenia is a mental illness associated with cardiovascular disease at a younger age than in the general population. Endothelial dysfunction has predictive value for future cardiovascular events; however, the impact of a diagnosis of schizophrenia on this marker is unknown.Aims:We tested the hypothesis that subjects with schizophrenia have impaired endothelial function.Methods:A total of 102 subjects (34.5±7.5 years) participated in this study. This sample consisted of 51 subjects with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and 51 healthy subjects, who were matched for age (P=0.442), sex (P>0.999), and smoking status (P=0.842). Peripheral artery microvascular and conduit vessel endothelial function was measured using hyperemic velocity time integral (VTI), pulse arterial tonometry (PAT), and flow-mediated dilation (FMD).Results:Significantly lower values of VTI were noted in subjects with schizophrenia (104.9±33.0 vs. 129.1±33.8 cm, P<0.001), whereas FMD (P=0.933) and PAT (P=0.862) did not differ between the two groups. A multivariable-linear-regression analysis, built on data from univariate and partial correlations, showed that only schizophrenia, sex, lipid-lowering medications, antihypertensive medications, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were predictive of attenuated VTI, whereas age, ethnicity, family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), antidiabetic medications, antidepressant medications, mood stabilizers, benzodiazepines, and anticholinergic medications did not predict VTI in this model (adjusted R 2=0.248).Conclusions:Our findings suggest that a diagnosis of schizophrenia is associated with impaired microvascular function as indicated by lower values of VTI, irrespective of many other clinical characteristics. It might be an early indicator of cardiovascular risk in schizophrenia, and might help to identify high-risk individuals.
Highlights
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects ~ 1% of the population,[1] and subjects with schizophrenia have a significantly higher burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD)[2,3,4] in addition to their psychiatric symptoms
All interested participants were screened over the telephone, and subjects with known CVD, active alcohol and/or substance use, active medical illness, and age above 45 years were excluded from participation
velocity time integral (VTI) was correlated with waist circumference (R = − 0.204, P = 0.043), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (R = 0.258, P = 0.011), and antihypertensive medication use (R = − 0.238, P = 0.016), but not with the other demographic or cardiovascular factors, including the presence of metabolic syndrome, or other cardiac risk-modifying medications
Summary
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects ~ 1% of the population,[1] and subjects with schizophrenia have a significantly higher burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD)[2,3,4] in addition to their psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: A total of 102 subjects (34.5 ± 7.5 years) participated in this study This sample consisted of 51 subjects with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and 51 healthy subjects, who were matched for age (P = 0.442), sex (P40.999), and smoking status (P = 0.842). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a diagnosis of schizophrenia is associated with impaired microvascular function as indicated by lower values of VTI, irrespective of many other clinical characteristics. It might be an early indicator of cardiovascular risk in schizophrenia, and might help to identify high-risk individuals. It might be an early indicator of cardiovascular risk in schizophrenia, and might help to identify high-risk individuals. npj Schizophrenia (2015) 1, Article number: 15023; doi:10.1038/npjschz.2015.23; published online 1 July 2015
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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
