[Diagnosis of Metabolic Risk Factors in Psychiatric Inpatients]

Objective: Individuals suffering from mental illness have one to two decades reduced life expectancy. The increased morbidity and mortality is mainly due to cardiometabolic disorders. Despite these numbers, international studies give evidence that diagnoses and treatment of metabolic risk factors in psychiatric patients is insufficient. We assume that in Germany metabolic risk factors are also underdiagnosed and insufficiently treated.

Methods: We tested for the frequency of diagnoses of the metabolic risk factors obesity, nicotine dependence and abuse, disorders of lipid metabolism, hypertension and diabetes in 139 307 cases of residential treatment and semi-residential care in 47 psychiatric hospitals in Germany in the year 2012. Data were derived from the VIPP(indicators of treatment quality in psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine)-project, a project that comprises the routine data of psychiatric hospitals, that are sent to the InEK (institute for the lump sum payment system for hospitals). Frequencies were compared with prevalence of metabolic risk factors in the German population and prevalences of metabolic risk factors found in psychiatric patients in international studies.

Results: In particular obesity (2.8 %), disorders of lipid metabolism (2.8 %) and nicotin dependence (4.2 %) were underdiagnosed. We assume that also diabetes (6.8 %) and hypertension (17.7 %) were underdiagnosed.

Conclusion: The results give evidence that metabolic risk factors are underdiagnosed and possibly insufficiently treated in German psychiatric hospitals. We cannot exclude that the results might also be due to poor documentation. It remains to be seen if the introduction of the PEPP (the new lump sum payment system in German psychiatry) will heighten the level of attention for metabolic risk factors and their treatment.