Somatic Comorbidities among Senior Schizophrenics: A Local Pilot Estimation

Journal Title: Journal of Clinical Medical Research - Year 2020, Vol 1, Issue 1

Abstract

Introduction: Comorbidity between mental disorders and physical illnesses is the rule rather than the exception. Approaches to study the impact of comorbidity become challenging also due to lack of consensus about how to define and measure the concept of comorbidity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical profile of medical comorbidity among a group of local chronic elderly schizophrenic patients to see their prevalence and physiognomies. Methods: While geriatric section of Razi psychiatric hospital had been selected as the field of investigation, all elderly schizophrenic patients, who have been hospitalized there for lifelong, had been selected as accessible sample and surveyed with respect to recorded checkups and comorbid medical diagnoses. Psychiatric diagnosis was in essence based on ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’, 5th edition (DSM-5) and medical diagnosis was principally based on ‘International Classification of Diseases’, 10th edition. Results: Assessment had been performed on 168 aged schizophrenic patients (≥65 years old), including 101 men and 67 women. According to results, 89% (n=151) of elderly patients had some kind of registered non-psychiatric co-morbidity, which was meaningfully higher than frequency of comorbidity among senior group of local residents. Amongst recorded comorbidities falls, hypertension and osteoarthritis were the most prevalent comorbidities with a frequency around 48.8%, 44.6% and 39.2%, respectively. Hypertension, renal disease and malnutrition were significantly more prevalent among male patients (p<0.0000, p<0.0045 and p< 0.0018, in turn) and hyponaremia, aspiration/asphyxiation and seizure were meaningfully more prevalent among female patients (p<0.0075, p<0.0000 and p<0.0009, one-to-one). As stated by the findings and in comparison with the senior group of local people while diabetes, renal diseases and malnutrition were significantly more frequent, coronary artery disease, gastrointestinal disorder and osteoarthritis were significantly less frequent among the present sample of elderly schizophrenic patients. Conclusion: While in comparison with senior group of local people the rate of medical comorbidities, particularly diabetes, renal diseases and malnutrition, were significantly higher in chronic elderly schizophrenic patients, a significant difference, as well, was palpable regarding the interrelated items between male and female patients, which demands further methodical and gender-based studies to define proper care and interventions for this vulnerable group of patients.

Authors and Affiliations

Saeed Shoja Shafti*, Alireza Memarie, Masomeh Rezaie, Behjat Rahimi

Keywords

Related Articles

Current Review: Hyperbaric Oxygen Analysis with Appropriate Cognitive Assessment

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment that involves placing a patient in a pressurised chamber and administering 100% oxygen. Recently, there has been growing interest in the cognitive benefits of HBOT,...

Effects of Petrol Fumes on Renal Function Parameters of Petrol Station Attendants in Sagamu, Nigeria

Petroleum fuels contain many toxic chemical compounds and trace metals. Previous studies on the effects of exposure to petroleum fuels on the kidneys in occupationally exposed workers are contradictory. This was a cross-...

Successful Treatment of Granuloma Annulare with Tapinarof 1% Cream: A Case Report

Granuloma Annulare (GA) is an inflammatory, granulomatous skin condition that presents with erythematous plaques or papules with several subtypes including patch, perforating, subcutaneous and atypical. GA is benign and...

Cardiac Pacemaker and the Effect on Hemodynamics of the Tricuspid Valve

Placement of ICDs, permanent pacemakers and biventricular devices is performed under fluoroscopic guidance. Implantable device leads can cause Tricuspid Regurgitation (TR) when they interfere with leaflet motion. In our...

Hypomagnesemia: A Clinical Approach in Chronically Ill Patients with Multiple Comorbidities

Magnesium (Mg) is vital for many biochemical and physiological metabolic processes in the normally functioning human body physiology. Hypomagnesemia in hospitalized patients is particularly common among those with chroni...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP698949
  • DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.46889/JCMR.2020.1104
  • Views 113
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Saeed Shoja Shafti*, Alireza Memarie, Masomeh Rezaie, Behjat Rahimi (2020). Somatic Comorbidities among Senior Schizophrenics: A Local Pilot Estimation. Journal of Clinical Medical Research, 1(1), -. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-698949