Abstract
Bipolar affective disorder is a chronic disease known for its co-morbidity with cardiovascular diseases and cognitive impairment. Bipolar patients experince a shorter life-expectancy due to higher cardiovascular morbidity in comparison with a population of mentally healthy people.
Cognitive impairment in bipolar population worsens functional abilities. As literature describes several conditions (e.g. psychopharmacotherapy, younger age of disease onset) exerting deleterious impact on cognition in bipolar population, our aim was to explore a possible linkage of cognitive functions and cardiovascular risk factors.
Forty patients in remission of bipolar disorder have been engaged in cross-sectional study. Remission was defined as score below nine in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and in Young Mania Rating Scale.
Battery of neuropsychological tests was used to examine cognitive functions. Each patient´s blood sample was examined for metabolic factors.
Body parameters were measured. Our findings confirm a connection between arterial hypertension, abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia, presence of metabolic syndrome and cognitive impairment.
Focusing on such parameters in bipolar patients could be promising in improving their cardiovascular health and cognition as well together with their functional outcome.