Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in bipolar patients initiating acute‐phase treatment: A 6‐month follow up

Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its correlates in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) during acute‐phase treatment in southern China. Methods: This study included 148 BD patients presenting with acute mood symptoms and 65 healthy controls at entry. Sociodemographic characteristics were noted for all participants. For patients, lifestyle information (alcohol, smoking, and exercise habits) and clinical characteristics were also collected. Patients were followed up for 6 months after the commencement of pharmacological treatment. Using the Chinese Medical Association Diabetes Branch criteria, MetS prevalence rates were calculated at entry and recalculated for patients at months 1, 3, and 6. Results: At baseline, MetS was presented in 11.5% of the patients; overweight, 34.5%; low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, 15.5%; hypertriglyceridemia, 29.1%; hypertension, 14.9%; and hyperglycemia, 5.4%. Compared with controls, the patients had a significantly higher prevalence of MetS and all its components except for hyperglycemia (P