The Metabolic Syndrome in Patients With Severe Mental Illnesses.

BACKGROUND: Since the introduction of the first atypical antipsychotics in the early 1990s, this class of medication has been increasingly relied upon for the treatment of a variety of patients with psychotic and mood disorders.DATA SOURCES: The following retrospective review was derived from the MEDLINE database using the search terms metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, severe mental illness, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, mood disorders, depression, unipolar depression, and prevalence from 1966 to the present. LITERATURE SYNTHESIS: Coincident with the growing usage of these agents, there have been a growing number of literature reports of changes in metabolic homeostasis among patients taking these medications.

Metabolic Issues With Atypical Antipsychotics in Primary Care: Dispelling the Myths.

BACKGROUND: Recently, much attention has been focused on the increased rate of metabolic syndrome componen ts among psychiatric patients, including glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and weight gain. Various reports have identified cases of newly diagnosed diabetes during treatment with atypical antipsychotic agents. However, the question remains whether there is a relationship between atypical antipsychotic use and the metabolic syndrome or whether there is a higher risk in this population irrespective of medication use.

Pneumopericardium in a patient with AIDS.

In 1997, a 53-year-old male smoker was admitted for progressive shortness of breath associated with a productive cough and yellowish sputum, pleuritic chest pain, and low-grade fever. There was no history of trauma. A posterior-anterior chest radiograph showed a diffuse infiltrate through the right lung field and an air space parallel to the lateral border of the heart.