Comparing cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and muscular endurance of patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders with a population-based sample

Abstract

There is an entrenched reverse link between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and earlier deaths. The purpose of our study was to provide a report of CRF elements in a sample of hospitalized patients with schizophrenia and to compare them with a population-based sample. This study was performed on 60 subjects (30 in the schizophrenic and schizoaffective group and 30 in the control group). CRF factors such as body mass index (BMI), and body fat, push-up test, curl-up test, VO2 peak, and sit-and-reach test, were compared across two groups. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) were assessed in the case group. The body fat percentage, abdominal circumference, and BMI are more in schizophrenic patients. Also, flexibility, muscle endurance, and maximum aerobic capacity are significantly lower in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients comparing healthy subjects (P < .001). Moreover, we found that with the increasing severity of the disease, the CRF of the patients became worse (P <.001). Patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders should be evaluated for cardiorespiratory and other factors of CRF. Exercise prescription treatment can be helpful to improve social functioning and decrease the impact of cardiovascular disease in patients with schizophrenia.