Risk of underdiagnosis of hypertension in schizophrenia patients.

Aim: Arterial hypertension requires proper screening and management, and its underdiagnosis in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and/or antipsychotic treatment has been postulated. The objective of the study is to assess whether there are differences in the proportion of screened patients with a blood pressure >140/90 mmHg that are undiagnosed or not confirmed later (risk of underdiagnosis).

Methods: Cross-sectional study of clinical records from SIDIAPQ (Spain) during the 2006-2011 period.

Screening of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with schizophrenia and patients treated with antipsychotic drugs: are we equally exhaustive as with the general population?

Unlabelled: Many studies have previously shown increased cardiovascular risk factors related to schizophrenia independently from the use of antipsychotic drugs. However, a poorer effort in clinical detection and management of cardiovascular risk in patients with severe mental illness could also explain these results. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the differences in screening and incidence of cardiovascular risk factors between schizophrenia, non-schizophrenic patients on treatment with antipsychotic drugs (NS-TAD) and the general population.