Prevalence of Impaired Glucose Regulation (IGR) among Schizophrenic Clients in Northern West-Bank

Background and Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of pre-diabetes mellitus ( Pre DM ) and diabetes mellitus ( DM ) in clients with schizophrenia who use antipsychotic drugs and compare it with those published in the general population. Methodology: A cross- sectional study carried out in 4 governmental primary psychiatric healthcare centers in northern West-Bank (Nablus, Jenin, Qalqilia, Tulkarm). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were tested. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Diabetes association (ADA) criteria for definition of pre-DM and DM were used in the study. Dysglycemia was defined as FBG> 110 mg/dl. Result: The total number of samples is 250 clients . Based on WHO criteria, 27 clients (10.8%) were diabetic and 34 (13.6%) clients were pre-diabetic. The prevalence of pre-DM was significantly higher than that reported in the Palestinian general population. However, prevalence of DM was not significantly differently from that in the general population in Palestine. Regression analysis showed that advancing age and abnormal waist circumference were significant factors associated with dysglycemia in clients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: This study confirmed the high prevalence of dysglycemia among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, supporting the need for enhanced monitoring for diabetes in this population. It is likely that the presence of primary risk factors is more important in the development of dysglycemia in patients with schizophrenia than exposure to antipsychotic drug.