Diabetes. Diabetes is diagnosed almost three times more often in people with bipolar disorder than it is in the general population. A 2002 study reported that 58% of patients with bipolar disorder were overweight, with 26% meeting the criteria for obesity. Being overweight is a significant risk factor for diabetes and so it may be the common factor in both diseases. Drugs used to treat bipolar can also cause weight gain and diabetes. Common genetic factors in diabetes and bipolar disorder may cause a rare disorder called Wolfram syndrome and other problems with carbohydrate metabolism.
High Blood Pressure. Patients with bipolar disorder may be at a higher risk for high blood pressure (hypertension) than patients without the disorder. The high prevalence of hypertension among patients with bipolar disorder may also account for their greater risk for illness and death from heart-related conditions.
Migraine Headaches. Migraines are common in patients with a number of mental illnesses, but they are particularly common among patients with bipolar II disorder. In one study, 77% of patients with bipolar II had migraines compared with 14% of patients with bipolar I, suggesting that different biologic factors may be involved with each bipolar form.
Hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism (low thyroid levels) is a common side effect of lithium, the standard treatment for bipolar. However, evidence also suggests that patients, particularly women, may be at higher risk for low thyroid levels regardless of which medications they use. Hypothyroidism may, in fact, be a risk factor for bipolar disorder in some patients.
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