Mental disorders in patients with metabolic syndrome. The key role of central obesity.
The Authors sought to evaluate current prevalence of mental disorders in patients affected by metabolic syndrome compared with patients affected by central obesity alone. 186 (63.5%) patients affected by central obesity and 107 (36.5%) affected by metabolic syndrome according to ICF criteria were interviewed by means of SCID I. Axis I current prevalence was respectively 45.7% and 44.9% among patients with central obesity and patients with metabolic syndrome, differences which were not significant. No statistically significant differences were found between groups as far as each single axis I diagnostic category was concerned. Moreover, current prevalence of any axis I, anxiety and mood disorders were independent of the number of components of metabolic syndrome. metabolic syndrome is associated to an higher risk for current mental disorders, which seems to be mainly due to the strong association of central obesity to psychopathology.