Diabetes mellitus seems to be more frequent in the psychiatric field than in the general population, according to the results of a recent meta-analysis of the United Kingdom published earlier this year at the Psychiatry General Hospital.
According to the study, the population with some psychiatric cause is more prone to having a diabetes diagnosis, an either glucose alteration or a glucose intolerance, compared to patients without a psychiatric condition.
The researchers evaluated 36 studies from Europe, Asia and North America involving 42 psychiatric cohorts for the prevalence of multiple damage to metabolism and glucose.
Without specifying the diabetes condition, it was reported that 1 in 10 patients with psychiatric disease studied was diagnosed with diabetes, 1 out of 5 with glucose intolerance, and 1 in 5 with glucose alteration.The prevalence rates did not vary by continents or by the type of hospital environment.
The range of psychiatric diagnostics included were schizophrenic, schizoofective disorders or humor disorders, with little variation in the prevalence of diabetes.
The study results indicate the need for psychiatrists to pay attention to the glucose metabolism of their patients.
"We would recommend that the routine screening take place in psychiatric hospitalization conditions not only with diabetes, but also in prediabetic states," said Dr. Roberts.