Men suffering from various mental conditions including schizophrenia have higher risk of developing heart disease, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Southampton and the Karolinska Institute.

"Our findings suggest that mental disorders pose a huge public health burden in terms of premature illness and death due to coronary heart disease," study researcher Catharine Gale, of the universities of Edinburgh and Southampton, said in a statement. "The physical health care of people with mental disorders needs to be a priority for clinicians if this burden is to be reduced," Huffington Post reports.

Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as coronary artery disease, is caused by the plaque build-up in the arteries of the heart. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 600,000 Americans die of heart disease annually. It is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Previous studies claimed that, depression, anxiety and psychotic disorders cause increased risk of coronary heart disease.

For the study, the researchers analysed 1,107,524 Swedish men over a 22.6-year period. The men began participating in the study at an average age of 18.3.

The researchers found that the participants who were associated with an alcohol abuse disorder or depression at the start of the study were associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease. Similarly, men who were hospitalized with substance use disorders or schizophrenia also had a larger cardiac disease risk.

However, the risk was more prominent in people hospitalized with a mental condition.

The finding has been published in the journal Circulation.