Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) represents a cluster of vascular risk factors related to insulin resistance such as abdominal obesity, hypertension, and glucose and lipid dysregulations. Multiple studies suggest an increasing metabolic risk in psychiatric patients. ObjectivesWe aim to assess epidemiological and clinical features of MetS in a Mediterranean psychiatric population. MethodsWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 126 patients attending the psychiatry department at Gabes regional hospital, Tunisia, from 2019 to 2020. MetS was diagnosed based on the 2005-IDF criteria. ResultsThe mean age was 45.5±12.8 years with a sex-ratio(M/F) of 1.07. The majority were married (49.2%), from urban areas(53.2%), low educational bac kgrounds (59.5%), and low-socioeconomic status households (64.3%). The rate of unemployment was 54%. Addictive behaviors were reported in 35.7% mainly tobacco (31.7%) and alcohol (3.2%). The leading mental diseases were schizophrenia and psychotic disorders (43.7%), depressive disorder (18.3%), bipolar disorder (16.7), and anxiety disorder (16.7%). Obesity was the most common metabolic comorbidity in 37.3% of patients. Dyslipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension were recorded in 17.5%, 12.7%, and 8.7%, respectively. The prevalence of MetS was 25.4%. ConclusionsThe bidirectional interplay between MetS and psychiatric disorders is due to behavioral aspects (sedentary lifestyle, smoking, unhealthy diet), somatic disturbances (chronic inflammation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation, and insulin resistance), in conjunction with an established metabolic-dysregulating effect of some antipsychotics. A possible shared genetic bac kground between these conditions has also been debated. Psychiatrists should screen their patients for comorbid MetS before and during treatment. Preventive and curative measures should be organized cooperatively with a multidisciplinary team (endocrinologists, diabetologists, and cardiologists) to reduce this serious cardiometabolic burden.