Consultation-liaison psychiatry and the “Women Wellness Project”: analysis of the association between cardiovascular risk factors and psychiatric comorbidity

INTRODUCTION The Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service of the Modena General Hospital collaborates regularly with the Cardiology Clinic,
within the Woman Wellness Project (WWP). Aim of this collaboration is detection and prevention of post-menopausal correlated diseases,
including psychiatric syndromes.
AIM To investigate the association between cardiovascular risk factors (BMI, blood pressure, hyperglycemia, hypertrygliceridemia) and
psychiatric symptoms in peri-post menopausal.
METHODS Ecological study. Data between January 2008 and December 2012 were collected. Correlations, logistic regessions and categorial
regressions were performed with STATA.
RESULTS 675 outpatients attended the WWP. 90 (13.3%) were referred to the psychiatrist; 9 refused the examination. Of the remaining 57.7%
had a positive psychiatric history and 22.03% already receaved a psychiatric therapy. 40.6% had at least two medical diseases, mainly:
overweight (54.2%), hypertension (40.7%) and dyslipidemia (49.1%). After psychiatric consultation emerged that: 11.9% had anxiety symptoms,
27.1% had depressive symptoms and 47.5% presented both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Only 7 patients (11.9%) had a negative
psychiatric examination. The regression analysis pointed out no significant association between the cardiometabolic risk-factors and the
psychiatric symptomatology. Differently, the outcome at the end of the psychiatric consultation was associated with BMI (r = -.26; p = .05) and
heart rate (r = .33; p = .01).
CONCLUSIONS Heart rate and BMI emerge as factors associated with the psychiatric symptomatology presented by the patient. This finding is
consistent with previous researches. The absence of significant associations at the regression analysis could be explained by the small sample
considered in the present study.