RESUMEN
Elevated cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose are known independent risk factors for coronary heart disease. This study examines the status of cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose of schizophrenia patients with positive, negative and cognitive symptoms and to investigate the association between these levels and obesity. This was a prospective observational study involving samples of patients who met established criteria for schizophrenia and were admitted to the mental health care center, Coimbatore. Glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides levels increased when schizophrenia patients are treated with anti-psychotic drugs. Although mean changes in glucose and cholesterol levels remained within clinically normal ranges, about one patient in eight studied developed abnormally high glucose, and also one in five patients assessed has abnormal cholesterol levels. The obesity and metabolic disorders observed in the patients were higher than the prevalence in the control group and confirms that there are deregulations of metabolic pathways in schizophrenic patients. The rate of obesity and metabolic disorders observed in this study were higher than the prevalence in the control group sugesting that more attention should be paid to the metabolic condition of psychiatric patients.