Co-morbid Diagnostic Profiles of Individuals with Schizophrenia

Abstract

This report presents the frequency at which physical conditions appear in patients with schizophrenia as well as those without any reported psychiatric disorders. The trends of this data set shows that specific physical disorders (i.e. cardiovascular disease) may present at a higher percentage in those with schizophrenia compared to those with no psychiatric disorder.

Results are based on a dataset of registration information for 16,359 individuals with schizophrenia. The physical diagnosis frequencies were calculated for a 16 fiscal year period (1994-2010). A second group was generated based on physician records of those without any psychiatric disorder.

The highest frequencies of co-morbid physical disorders in individuals with schizophrenia are sprains and strains of the lumbar and thoracic regions at 5.71% and 5.20% respectively. However, these also presented at >1% of physical illnesses in patients without psychiatric disorders. Cardiovascular disease appeared at a percentage of 2.83% physical disorders in patients with schizophrenia as opposed to 0.10% in those without any mental health disorder. Review of recent literature was conducted to find possible reasoning for the higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in those with Schizophrenia.

Findings from this report suggest a correlation between some physical disorders and schizophrenia. In the case of cardiovascular disease and consequently higher financial costs and mortality rates, this creates implications for more attentive treatment and preventive measures for such somatic disorders in those with schizophrenia.