Prevalence of Dyslipidemia among Schizophrenic Clients in Northern West Bank

Individuals with major mental disorders lose 25 or more years of life expectancy, with coronary heart disease (CHD) as the leading cause of death. Dyslipidemia is a common health problem worldwide, and defined by the presence of one or more than one abnormal serum lipid concentration, and schizophrenic clients are at higher risk of dyslipidemia and at higher risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases. AIM: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia among schizophrenic clients who are attending governmental psychiatric clinics in northern West Bank of Palestine. METHOD: Data was analyzed from a cross-sectional study that included a Convenience sampling of 251 schizophrenic clients attending governmental psychiatric clinics in northern West Bank of Palestine (Jenin, Tulkaram, Nablus and Qalqilia), Aged 16 years and older. According to the NCEP ATP III criteria, High total cholesterol (TC) was defined as TC ≥200 mg/dl and hypertriglyceridemia as serum triglyceride level ≥150 mg/dl. Low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was defined as serum HDL-C <40 mg/dl. High low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was defined as serum LDL-C ≥130 mg/dl. RESULTS: The analysis shows an of a total of 251 subjects, 43.4% had high TC level, 33.8% had high LDL-C, 41.4% had low HDL-C, 48.2% had high triglyceride levels, and 66.5% had at least one abnormal lipid level. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in schizophrenic clients was significantly higher than from general population in other country. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in male more than female in all plasma lipids, with significant relationship in low HDL-C (p/0.02). The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, high LDL-C, and abnormally low HDL-C, were higher in all age groups.BMI was associated with high triglycerides, and there was significant relationships between high total cholesterol and smoker. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: This study confirmed the high prevalence of dyslipidemia among clients diagnosed with schizophrenia, which necessitates appropriate the institution of community-based intervention strategy for prevention, detection and treatment of dyslipidemia.