Antipsychotics and diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting 3-4% of the population. This proportion is predicted to double by 2030, largely as a result of an ageing population and an increased incidence of obesity. Type 1 diabetes, which begins in childhood, accounts for 10-15% of cases with type 2 diabetes, which begins in adulthood, making up the remainder. The prevalence of diabetes has been reported to be two to three times higher among people with schizophrenia than in the rest of the population and there has been increasing concern that antipsychotics - particularly newer, second-generation ones - are associated with an increased risk. A review of 14 studies compared the relative risk of first- and second-generation antipsychotics and concluded that the second generation ones led to a 32% increase in the risk of developing diabetes.

Smith, M. ... [et al] - First- v. second-generation antipsychotics and risk for diabetes in schizophrenia: systematic review and meta-analysis British Journal of Psychiatry June 2008, 192(6), 406-411