Patients with severe mental illness have greatly increased cardiovascular risk, study finds

Patients with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, have 53% higher odds of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than matched controls without these conditions, a large meta-analysis has found.1

Life expectancy in people with severe mental illness is shorter by 10.0-17.5 years than among the general population, and CVD is one of the major contributors to early deaths. Previous studies have shown increased risk of CVD in people with severe …