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.