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Review Finds COPD Risk Elevated in People With Schizophrenia, Even After Smoking Adjustment

Experts urge routine physical checks plus integrated care in response to evidence that smoking alone does not explain the risk.

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Overview

  • A peer-reviewed synthesis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases reports higher COPD prevalence in people with schizophrenia than in the general population.
  • Higher smoking rates contribute to risk, yet the excess persists after adjustment, supporting a possible syndemic link driven by socioeconomic, genetic, and environmental factors.
  • Under-diagnosis is highlighted as a major problem due to limited use of primary and preventive care and diagnostic overshadowing of respiratory symptoms.
  • The review notes associations between some antipsychotic medications and respiratory harms, including increased risk of pneumonia.
  • Professor David M. G. Halpin calls for primary care awareness, routine physical health checks, and integrated services to improve outcomes, with his industry consultancies disclosed.