Psychopathology, coronary heart disease and metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia spectrum patients with deficit versus non-deficit schizophrenia: Findings from the CLAMORS study

The objective of this study was to compare coronary heart disease (CHD) risk and metabolic syndrome (MS) prevalence in patients with deficit (DS) and non-deficit schizophrenia treated with antipsychotics. A total of 1452 antipsychotic-treated outpatients meeting criteria for schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorder were included in this cross-sectional multicentre study. CHD risk was assessed by SCORE (10-year cardiovascular death) risk score, and metabolic syndrome was assessed according to NCEP-ATP III criteria. A total of 1452 patients (863 men, 60.9%), 40.7 ± 12.2 years (mean ± SD) were included. DS was found in 404 patients (35.1%). Patients with DS were older, more frequently male and obese, more likely to be receiving sickness benefits, and had longer illness duration and fewer previous hospitalisations. Furthermore, DS patients had higher negative PANSS scores (56.3% vs. 40.6% of patients with PANSS-N > 21). High/very high risk of fatal CHD according to SCORE function (≥ 3%) was significantly higher in DS [11.8% (95% CI: 8.8–15.5) vs. 6.0% (95% CI: 4.4–8.1), (p < 0.05)]. Schizophrenia spectrum patients with DS were more obese and had a higher CHD risk than non-deficit patients.