Medicines against psychosis may cause diabetes, sometimes this effect is accute and lethal. So says psychiatrist Dan Cohen in his PhD-thesis. Since schizophrenics are already at risk for diabetes in the first place, their use of antipsychotics makes them particularly vulnerable for diabetes.
Cohen draws his conclusion from epidemiological research among 500.000 residents in the area Utrecht, combined with data from 3.000 diabetic patients. Antipsychotics users turned out to suffer more often from diabetes than other groups, regardless of psychiatric diagnosis. The relative risk for schizophrenics to be diagnosed with diabetes is twice the average risk, in the 30-40 age group the relative risk even increases tenfold.
In scientific literature Cohen found 73 cases of acute diabetes caused by antipsychotics, two patients did not survive the disturbed glucose levels. To prevent this lethal complication from happening, Cohen advises antipsychotic treatment to be preceded by analysis of blood glucose levels.
Thesis: 'Diabetes mellitus in schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: a iatrogenic or endogenic problem?'
PhD-advisor 1: prof.dr. D.E. Grobbee
PhD-advisor 2: prof.dr. R.P. Stolk
Co-advisor: dr. C.C. Gispen-de Wied