Introduction. The risk of metabolic abnormalities is greatly increased in schizophrenic patients started on an atypical antipsychotic medication. Patients with psychiatric disorders exceed mortality ranges resulting from, among others, increased risk of cardiovascular events. Other factors contributing to the development of metabolic syndrome include prolonged duration of illness, increasing age, female sex and lifestyle factors. Objective. This cross-sectional study was taken up to assess the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in schizophrenic patients receiving olanzapine monotherapy for at least six months and to determine the most important risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome presence in these patients. Methods. A total of 93 long term hospitalized schizophrenic patients (71 men, 22 women), had a screening of the following: case-history data, psychiatric scales, anthropometric measures, blood (fasting glucose, lipid status, C-reactive protein - CRP) and urine samples (microalbuminuria). Results. Prevalence of MetS according to International Diabetes Federation criteria in our study was 34.4%. The multivariate analysis distinguished the following significant predictors of MetS presence (in order of appearance): data about diabetes mellitus in family history (p=0.002), body mass index >25 kg/m2 (p=0.002), hyperlipidemia in family history (p=0.008), and elevated CRP value (p=0.042). Conclusion. High rate of MetS in patients treated with olanzapine in this study exceeds MetS prevalence in general population. Among observed parameters, our study pointed to several ?high risk? predictors associated with MetS presence. Regular monitoring of cardiometabolic risk factors is highly recommended. Positive heredity distress mentioned above may direct a psychiatrist to prescribe some other drug than olanzapine in the long term treatment of schizophrenia.

Background. The incidence of hearing loss is constantly increasing and according to the World Health Organization, by 2050, 900 million people will suffer from hearing loss. The main Objective of the study was to determine the differences between the severity of the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in participants with varying degrees of sensorineural hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional aim was to examine the extent and manner in which protective face masks impact the communication of people with hearing loss. Matrials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, which included 160 patients (81 men and 79 women) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The patients’ age range was 50 to 80 years. Depending on the degree of hearing loss or pure-tone threshold, the participants were divided into four groups: mild hearing loss, moderate hearing loss, severe hearing loss and profound hearing loss. The research used the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and a questionnaire in which the participants reported whether surgical face masks (medical three-layer masks) worn by speakers makes communication difficult, to what extent and in what way. Results: The average age of the patients was 67.97 ± 8.16. A significant correlation was found between the degree of hearing loss and communication difficulties caused by the use of protective face masks (p < 0.001). For patients with severe and profound hearing loss, communication is significantly more difficult (50.0% and 45.0% respectively) when the interlocutor wears a face mask. There is a significant correlation between the degree of hearing loss and the way in which communication is made more difficult when the interlocutor wears a face mask (p < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was determined between the degrees of hearing loss in all measured subscales: stress (p = 0.024), anxiety (p = 0.026) and depression (p = 0.016). Conclusions: We have determined that face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly hamper communication among the study groups (p = 0.007) and there is a significant correlation between the degree of sensorineural hearing loss and the presence of symptoms in all three DASS-21 subscales, meaning that the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression were more intense in severe and profound hearing loss.

Introduction. Recurrent depression is a psychiatric disorder of which etiology and pathogenesis might be related to immune response. Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and its components are also strongly associated with elevated inflammatory indicators, as so as the body mass index (BMI) and total cholesterol levels. Objective. Objective of this study was to investigate if there was any difference in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with recurrent depressive disorder, treated with antidepressants, compared to a healthy control group of subjects and if there was an association between increased CRP levels and the presence of MetS in these two groups. Methods. Sixty subjects entered the study; of these 35 patients with the diagnosis of recurrent depressive disorder, while the healthy control group included 25 subjects. MetS was defined according to the NCEP ATP III criteria. The cut-off point for CRP was set at >5 mg /L. Results. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of MetS and CRP values between the studied groups. Waist circumference and total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the experimental group. Patients that fulfilled the criteria for MetS showed significantly higher values of central obesity and arterial hypertension in the experimental group as well. The elevated CRP levels were associated with increased frequency of MetS in depressed patients. Conclusion. Both CRP levels and metabolic risk profile screening, according to the international criteria, may be beneficial in order to obtain better assessment for depressive long term medicated patients.