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A recent study has determined that not enough psychiatrists are monitoring their patients' metabolic reactions to antipsychotic medications, even though 90% of such patients have at least one "metabolic risk factor."
The study, published in the journal, Psychological Medicine, by the University of Leicester, surveyed 48 studies conducted between 2000 and 2001 from five countries including the United States. In all, almost 300,000 patients were represented in the data set.
The correlation between patients on antipsychotic medication and metabolic conditions is inescapable. 60% of such patients have high cholesterol, 40% have high blood pressure, and 30% exhibit metabolic syndrome, a condition related to obesity.
Despite this statistical connection, many doctors were not testing metabolic risks from their patients on antipsychotics. More than half of doctors requested tests of blood pressure and triglycerides, but fewer than half tested for cholesterol, glucose and weight. The figures were similar for both inpatients and outpatients.
According to one of the researchers, guidelines for regular metabolism checks have been around without much result in medical practice. One hypothesis is that the psychiatric profession is largely divorced from general practice. This, according to the study, should be changed.
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