Metabolic derangements resulting in obesity and diabetes are commonly reported with bipolar disorder [32,33]. Many mechanisms have been suggested for these findings. Impaired glucose metabolism, poor quality of life and commonly associated eating disorders are implicated in these dysregulations [34,35]. Women with bipolar disorder, when compared to men with bipolar disorder, have higher rates of abdominal obesity as per a systematic review conducted by Baskaran et al. [36]. As per the National Diabetes Statistics Report (2017), diabetes is seen in 14.9% of women and 15.3% of men, which is much higher than that seen in the bipolar patients in this study [37]. Nonetheless, bipolar females had a higher risk of obesity and diabetes than the male participants in our study. The National Health Interview Survey 1997–2012 concluded that comorbid obesity is present in 38.3% of women and 34.3% of men [38], which is about three times higher than that seen in the bipolar patients in our study. Unlike the above reports, diabetes and obesity seem to be lower in the bipolar inpatient population, yet the odds of these comorbidities were higher in females with bipolar disorder compared to males.
