Objectives
To establish the course of metabolic syndrome (MS) rates in older patients with severe mental illness (SMI) after 5‐year follow‐up and evaluate whether MS at baseline is associated with mortality or diabetes at follow‐up.
Methods
Patients (>60 years of age) with SMI (N = 100) were included at a specialized mental health outpatient clinic. Metabolic parameters were collected from patients' medical files at baseline and after 5‐year follow‐up.
Results
Follow‐up data were available of 98 patients (98%); nine patients had died. Parameters of MS were available of 76 patients; 34.2% were diagnosed with MS. This was not significantly different compared with baseline (46.1%). MS at baseline was not significantly associated with mortality or development of diabetes at follow‐up.
Conclusions
In older patients with SMI, the rates of MS may reach a plateau. Screening for MS in older patients treated at a specialized mental health outpatient clinic may generate attention for their somatic health and treatment for the components of MS that may in turn have a positive effect on their outcome. However, further research with larger sample sizes is needed in order to confirm these findings.