The British Journal of Psychiatry (2010) 196: 116-121. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.109.067512
© 2010 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Twenty-five year mortality of a community cohort with schizophrenia

Steve Brown, DM

Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust, Southampton

Miranda Kim, PhD

MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton

Clemence Mitchell, MB BS

School of Medicine University of Southampton

Hazel Inskip, PhD

MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, UK

Correspondence: Correspondence: Steve Brown, Cannon House, 6 Cannon Street, Shirley, Southampton S015 5PQ, UK. Email: steve.brown{at}hantspt-sw.nhs.uk

Declaration of interest

None.

Background

People with schizophrenia have significantly raised mortality but we do not know how these mortality patterns in the UK have changed since the 1990s.

Aims

To measure the 25-year mortality of people with schizophrenia with particular focus on changes over time.

Method

Prospective record linkage study of the mortality of a community cohort of 370 people with schizophrenia.

Results

The cohort had an all-cause standardised mortality ratio of 289 (95% CI 247–337). Most deaths were from the common causes seen in the general population. Unnatural deaths were concentrated in the first 5 years of follow-up. There was an indication that cardiovascular mortality may have increased relative to the general population (P = 0.053) over the course of the study.

Conclusions

People with schizophrenia have a mortality risk that is two to three times that of the general population. Most of the extra deaths are from natural causes. The apparent increase in cardiovascular mortality relative to the general population should be of concern to anyone with an interest in mental health.


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