By IANS
New York : People with schizophrenia — a disabling mental illness — are more likely to suffer from heart attack then people without it, a report has said.
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects men and women equally.
A person suffering from the disorder may demonstrate symptoms such as disorganised thinking, auditory hallucinations, and delusions. In severe cases, the person may be largely mute, remain motionless or exhibit purposeless agitation.
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in most part of the world including the US and India and heart disease is about twice as deadly for people with schizophrenia, said the November 2007 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, a monthly medical newsletter.
The newsletter looks at the reasons why the risk is so high for people with schizophrenia and what can be done to reduce or prevent it.
People suffering from schizophrenia are less likely to receive good preventive care because they are more likely to see a psychiatrist than a primary care physician or cardiologist and often the heart condition of the patient goes unnoticed, reported Newswise wire.
However the report suggests that people with schizophrenia can lower their heart risk with help from clinicians and close family members.