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Hypocholesterolaemia in Cancer and Other Causes of Death in the Mentally Handicapped

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

J. Jancar ,
R. D. Eastham  and
G. Carter
J. Jancar*
Affiliation:
Stoke Park Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1QU; University of Bristol
R. D. Eastham
Affiliation:
Frenchay Hospital, Bristol BS16 1LE; University of Bristol
G. Carter
Affiliation:
Lecturer in Mental Health (Mental Handicap), University of Bristol; Stoke Park Hospital, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1QU
*
∗Correspondence.
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Summary

Serum cholesterol levels were estimated in 313 mentally handicapped patients who subsequently died from various causes. Although cholesterol levels in the mentally handicapped are lower than those in the general population, it was found that there was still an association between relatively low serum cholesterol values and mortality due to cancer of the colon. Similarly, patients who died from myocardial infarction had relatively high serum cholesterol levels. The mechanism of the relationship between hypocholesterolaemia and cancer of the colon is unclear, but the increasing longevity of the mentally handicapped is an important factor which has contributed to a rising incidence of cancers, particularly gastrointestinal forms, in this group.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 145 , Issue 1 , July 1984 , pp. 59 - 61
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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References

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