Prevalence and Risk Factors of Comorbid Obesity in Chinese Patients with Bipolar Disorder

Abstract

Purpose

Bipolar disorder (BD) predisposes patients to comorbid obesity and increases the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of comorbid obesity and its risk factors in patients with BD in China.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective survey of 642 patients with BD. Demographic data were collected, physical examinations were performed, and biochemical indexes, including fasting blood glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, and triglycerides (TG) levels, were measured. Height and weight were measured on an electronic scale at admission, and body mass index (BMI) was in kg/m². Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between BMI and variable indicators. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for comorbid obesity in patients with BD.

Results

The prevalence of comorbid obesity in Chinese patients with BD was 21.3%. Obese patients had high levels of blood glucose, ALT, glutamyl transferase, cholesterol, apolipoprotein B (Apo B), TG, and uric acid in the plasma; however, the levels of high-density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A1 were lower than those in non-obese patients. Partial correlation analysis showed that BMI was associated with ApoB, TG, uric acid, blood glucose, GGT, TC, ApoA1, HDL, and ALT levels. Multiple linear regression showed that ALT, blood glucose, uric acid, TG, and Apo B levels were important risk factors of BMI.

Conclusion

The prevalence of obesity is higher in patients with BD in China, and TG, blood glucose, liver enzymes, and uric acid are closely related to obesity. Therefore, more attention should be paid to patients with comorbid obesity. Patients should be encouraged to increase their physical activity, control sugar and fat intake, and reduce the prevalence of comorbid obesity and risk of serious complications.

Keywords:

• bipolar disorder
• obesity
• prevalence
• risk factors
• body mass index

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Anhui Mental Health Center for providing data support for this study. Without the support of the hospital, this work would not have been possible.

Disclosure

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Hefei Health Applied Medicine Research Project (grant number Hwk2021yb015) and the Hospital Project of Hefei Fourth People’s Hospital (grant numbers 2019001, HFSY2022YB08 and HFSY2022ZD11). The funders had no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.