Background and Objective:
Patients with schizophrenia have higher mortality than the general population, with cardiovascular diseases being the first cause of mortality. This study aims to estimate the excess cardiovascular risks in patients with schizophrenia.

Material and Methods:
We did a crossectional study within the “Navarre primary health care system cohort” (APNA study) APNA is a dynamical multipurpose prospective cohort of the population in the Region of Navarra, Spain. We selected 505,889 people over 18 years old. We collected age, sex, income status, and clinical variables ( Body Mass Index (BMI), systolic and diastolic BP, smoking, and diagnoses of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.) Data were analyzed with logistic regression using IBM SPSS.

Results:
Adjusting by age, sex, and income, patients with schizophrenia have a higher prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes OR=1,911 (95% CI 1,363-2,010), Dislipemia OR=1,443 (95% CI 1,139- 1,829), smoking OR=1,565 (95% 1,395-1,755), Obesity (BMI>30) OR=2,295 (95% CI 2,026- 2,599), Morbid Obesity (BMI >40), Smoking OR=2,544 (95% CI 1,943-3,330) than the general population. The prevalence of hypertension was similar in both groups (p =0.06).

Conclusion:
Schizophrenia patients have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors than the general population. General practitioners should be aware of this higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with schizophrenia and instruct nurses to monitor them and include them in their follow-up programs. Primary care nursing interventions should monitor these patients and reduce cardiovascular risk factors.