Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Comorbidities and Mortality in Persons With Schizophrenia: A Swedish National Cohort Study

Crump, Casey ; Winkleby, Marilyn A. ; Sundquist, Kristina LU and Sundquist, Jan LU (2013) In American Journal of Psychiatry 170(3). p.324-333
Abstract
Objective: Schizophrenia is associated with premature mortality, but the specific causes and pathways are unclear. The authors used outpatient and inpatient data for a national population to examine the association between schizophrenia and mortality and comorbidities. Method: This was a national cohort study of 6,097,834 Swedish adults, including 8,277 with schizophrenia, followed for 7 years (2003-2009) for mortality and comorbidities diagnosed in any outpatient or inpatient setting nationwide. Results: On average, men with schizophrenia died 15 years earlier, and women 12 years earlier, than the rest of the population, and this was not accounted for by unnatural deaths. The leading causes were ischemic heart disease and cancer. Despite... (More)
Objective: Schizophrenia is associated with premature mortality, but the specific causes and pathways are unclear. The authors used outpatient and inpatient data for a national population to examine the association between schizophrenia and mortality and comorbidities. Method: This was a national cohort study of 6,097,834 Swedish adults, including 8,277 with schizophrenia, followed for 7 years (2003-2009) for mortality and comorbidities diagnosed in any outpatient or inpatient setting nationwide. Results: On average, men with schizophrenia died 15 years earlier, and women 12 years earlier, than the rest of the population, and this was not accounted for by unnatural deaths. The leading causes were ischemic heart disease and cancer. Despite having twice as many health care system contacts, schizophrenia patients had no increased risk of nonfatal ischemic heart disease or cancer diagnoses, but they had an elevated mortality from ischemic heart disease (adjusted hazard ratio for women, 3.33 [95% CI=2.73-4.05]; for men, 2.20 [95%, CI=1.83-2.65]) and cancer (adjusted hazard ratio for women, 1.71 [95% CI=1.38-2.10; for men, 1.44 [95% CI=1.15-1.80]). Among all people who died from ischemic heart disease or cancer, schizophrenia patients Were less likely than others to have been diagnosed previously with these conditions (for ischemic heart disease, 26.3% compared with 43.7%; for cancer, 73.9% compared with 82.3%). The association between schizophrenia and mortality was stronger among women and the employed. Lack of antipsychotic treatment was also associated with elevated mortality.. Conclusions: Schizophrenia patients had markedly premature mortality, and the leading causes were ischemic heart disease and cancer, which appeared to be under-diagnosed. Preventive interventions should prioritize primary health care tailored to this population, including more effective risk modification and screening for cardiovascular disease and cancer. (Am J Psychiatty 2013; 170:324-333) (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
American Journal of Psychiatry
volume
170
issue
3
pages
324 - 333
publisher
American Psychiatric Association
external identifiers
  • wos:000315473800013
  • scopus:84874784904
  • pmid:23318474
ISSN
1535-7228
DOI
10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12050599
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d81d45be-9a55-4bbc-9bb6-53e074f6e91e (old id 3669958)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:24:29
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:12:58
@article{d81d45be-9a55-4bbc-9bb6-53e074f6e91e,
  abstract     = {{Objective: Schizophrenia is associated with premature mortality, but the specific causes and pathways are unclear. The authors used outpatient and inpatient data for a national population to examine the association between schizophrenia and mortality and comorbidities. Method: This was a national cohort study of 6,097,834 Swedish adults, including 8,277 with schizophrenia, followed for 7 years (2003-2009) for mortality and comorbidities diagnosed in any outpatient or inpatient setting nationwide. Results: On average, men with schizophrenia died 15 years earlier, and women 12 years earlier, than the rest of the population, and this was not accounted for by unnatural deaths. The leading causes were ischemic heart disease and cancer. Despite having twice as many health care system contacts, schizophrenia patients had no increased risk of nonfatal ischemic heart disease or cancer diagnoses, but they had an elevated mortality from ischemic heart disease (adjusted hazard ratio for women, 3.33 [95% CI=2.73-4.05]; for men, 2.20 [95%, CI=1.83-2.65]) and cancer (adjusted hazard ratio for women, 1.71 [95% CI=1.38-2.10; for men, 1.44 [95% CI=1.15-1.80]). Among all people who died from ischemic heart disease or cancer, schizophrenia patients Were less likely than others to have been diagnosed previously with these conditions (for ischemic heart disease, 26.3% compared with 43.7%; for cancer, 73.9% compared with 82.3%). The association between schizophrenia and mortality was stronger among women and the employed. Lack of antipsychotic treatment was also associated with elevated mortality.. Conclusions: Schizophrenia patients had markedly premature mortality, and the leading causes were ischemic heart disease and cancer, which appeared to be under-diagnosed. Preventive interventions should prioritize primary health care tailored to this population, including more effective risk modification and screening for cardiovascular disease and cancer. (Am J Psychiatty 2013; 170:324-333)}},
  author       = {{Crump, Casey and Winkleby, Marilyn A. and Sundquist, Kristina and Sundquist, Jan}},
  issn         = {{1535-7228}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{324--333}},
  publisher    = {{American Psychiatric Association}},
  series       = {{American Journal of Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{Comorbidities and Mortality in Persons With Schizophrenia: A Swedish National Cohort Study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12050599}},
  doi          = {{10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12050599}},
  volume       = {{170}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}