Citation

Polednak AP. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 2014; 49(7): 1083-1091.

Affiliation

Connecticut Department of Public Health, Hartford, Connecticut, USA, appoled7@yahoo.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00127-014-0846-8

PMID

24562389

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Trends in mortality rates for schizophrenia using multiple causes of death (including contributory causes) coded on death certificates in the US resident population apparently have not been reported. METHODS: Age-standardized rates for deaths per 100,000 in 1999-2010 at age 15+ years (and for 15-64 and 65+ years) with mention of schizophrenia were examined for the US resident population, including variation by age, gender, race (blacks/African Americans and whites) and region. RESULTS: Deaths at age 15+ years coded with schizophrenia as underlying cause were only 12 % of all deaths with mention of schizophrenia, for which the rate declined from 1.58 in 1999 (3,407 deaths) to 1.32 in 2010 (3,422 deaths) (percentage change or PC = -16 %). Declines were larger in females than males, in whites than blacks, and occurred in the Northeast, Midwest and South but not the West. The rate increased for age 15-64 years (PC = +28 %) (mainly in males), however, while declining for age 65+ years (PC = -35 %). For deaths at age 15-64 years with schizophrenia coded as other than the underlying cause, the largest continuous increase was for endocrine-metabolic diseases (predominantly diabetes mellitus) as underlying cause, with smaller increases in males for cardiovascular diseases, external causes and neoplasms. CONCLUSION: Trends in the US rate for deaths with mention of schizophrenia varied among the sociodemographic groups examined. The lack of decline for age 15-64 years requires further study especially with regard to mediators (e.g., obesity) of excess mortality in schizophrenia identified from cohort studies.

Language: en