People with schizophrenia who have diabetes are better at taking their oral hypoglycaemic drugs than people with diabetes and no co-morbidity, according to a US analysis of a prescription database involving over 20 000 patients (Schizophrenia Bull 2010;36:428-35).

Defining non-adherence as having obtained less than 80 per cent of prescribed medicine, the prevalence of non-adherence among people with schizophrenia/diabetes was 43 per cent, significantly lower than those with diabetes alone (52 per cent). Significantly more patients with schizophrenia also had in excess of 20 per cent more medicines than prescribed (6 vs 2 per cent). After controlling for demographics and health service use, people with schizophrenia were found to be 25 per cent less likely to be non-adherent to oral hypoglycaemic therapy.
Further study is needed to investigate whether factors such as more regular contact with healthcare providers or co-management of another chronic condition contribute to these differences.