Reducing the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases in Non-selected Outpatients With Schizophrenia: A 30-Month Program Conducted in a Real-life Setting.

Background: The most common cause of premature death in people with schizophrenia is cardiovascular disease, partially explained by an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking, poor diet and sedentary behavior. We aimed to reduce cardiovascular risk factors.

Method: Naturalistic follow-up study with 54 long-term-treated non-selected outpatients with schizophrenia.

Changes in antipsychotics and other psychotropic drugs during a 30-month lifestyle intervention among outpatients with schizophrenia.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have high risk of early death from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, partly because of poor lifestyle and partly because of long-lasting exposure to antipsychotic treatment.

Aims: To investigate the influence of a lifestyle intervention program on changes in psychotropic medication in a non-selected cohort of patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: Observational study of outpatients in the Central Denmark Region during a 30-month lifestyle program.

QTc interval in patients with schizophrenia receiving antipsychotic treatment as monotherapy or polypharmacy.

Objective: Antipsychotics are associated with a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes, which, in the worst case, can lead to sudden cardiac death. The QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) is used as a clinical proxy for torsades de pointes. The QTc interval can be prolonged by antipsychotic monotherapy, but it is unknown if the QTc interval is prolonged further with antipsychotic polypharmaceutical treatment.

Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor levels in patients with schizophrenia.

Background: The etiology of schizophrenia remains largely unknown but alterations in the immune system may be involved. In addition to the psychiatric symptoms, schizophrenia is also associated with up to 20 years reduction in life span. Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a protein that can be measured in blood samples and reflects the levels of inflammatory activity.

[Fatigue and loss of appetite as sign of depression in elderly patients].

A 77-year-old woman who, over a period of some months, had changed behavior was subsequently admitted to hospital with loss of weight, fatigue and dizziness. Despite intensive examination, no somatic explanation was found. After a month she was diagnosed with depression but discharged because she refused further treatment.