Background: Associations between metabolic abnormalities and poor treatment outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD) have been reported. This study examined the influence of metabolic abnormalities on remission in Korean inpatients with BD. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the chart of 128 adult patients with BD who were hospitalized at a university hospital in Korea. The collected data included fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein levels at admission, as well as height, weight, and blood pressure measurements. The prevalence of metabolic abnormalities was compared between the remission (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of ≤7 and Young Mania Rating Scale score of <8) and nonremission groups. Results: Prevalence of hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia significantly differed between the nonremission and remission groups. Multivariate analysis revealed hyperglycemia as the only significant risk factor for nonremission in subjects with mood and manic/hypomanic episodes.
Conclusion:The study findings reveal a negative effect of hyperglycemia on the treatment outcome of BD. Clinical attention to metabolic abnormalities, specifically insulin resistance and hyperglycemia, is recommended during early stages of the disease.