Schizophrenia and increased risks of cardiovascular disease

The chief cause of excess premature mortality among patients with schizophrenia is CHD, caused mainly by their adverse risk factor profile. Because patients with schizophrenia have less access to medical care, consume less medical care, and are less compliant with their regimens, the choice of antipsychotic drug regimens that do not further adversely affect their risk factor for CHD is a major clinical and public health challenge among patients with schizophrenia.