Objective: To assess the metabolic implications for patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital in several patient populations.Method: Data was collected from the medical records of 108 randomly chosen patients initially diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression in our hospital from 2002 to 2003.
Results:Weight gain over a one-year period was demonstrated in each group of patients (treated with antipsychotics or antidepressants) (p Ͻ 0.001). After the implementation of routine lipid panel test, several patients were initially diagnosed with dyslipidemia.
Discussion:It is important to order routine laboratory work rationally, as this adds to the cost of hospitalization, while considering standard of care recommendations.