title: [Heart disease in schizophrenia].
abstract: A 63-year-old male patient diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia and characterized by formal disorders of thought with neologism and paranoid ideation, especially grandiose delusions and feelings of being influenced by radiation, is presented. At admission to psychiatric hospital, the patient reported attacks of weakness and dizziness, which he attributed to his feelings of alien influence. The diagnosis of cardiac disease with severe bradycardia could already be established by basic physical examination. Further diagnostic procedures (e.g., ECG) revealed symptomatic atrioventricular conduction defects (atrioventricular block III). After implantation of a cardiac pacemaker, the somatic symptoms vanished and the patient recovered completely in terms of physical condition.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsnervenklinik-Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätskliniken des Saarlandes. thomas.wobrock@uniklinik-saarland.de
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wobrock
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sittinger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kindermann
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Behrendt
mesh_terms: D001919:Bradycardia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006327:Heart Block / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D013850:Thinking