Journal article icon

Journal article

Cause-specific excess mortality after first diagnosis of bipolar disorder: population-based cohort study

Abstract:

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with increased mortality, but evidence on cause-specific mortality is limited.

Objective: To investigate cause-specific premature excess mortality in BD.

Methods: Finnish nationwide cohort study of individuals with and without a diagnosis of BD who were aged 15–64 years during 2004–2018. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) with 95% CIs were calculated for BD using the mortality rates in the Finnish general population without BD as weights. Causes of death were defined by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes.

Findings: Of the included 47 018 individuals with BD, 3300 (7%) died during follow-up. Individuals with BD had sixfold higher mortality due to external causes (SMR: 6.01, 95% CI: 5.68, 6.34) and twofold higher mortality due to somatic causes (SMR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.97, 2.15). Of the deaths due to external causes, 83% (1061/1273) were excess deaths, whereas 51% (1043/2027) of the deaths due to somatic causes were excess. About twice the number of potential years of life were lost in excess due to external causes than due to somatic causes. Alcohol-related causes contributed more to excess mortality than deaths due to cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion: External causes of death contributed more to the mortality gap than somatic causes after controlling for age-specific background general population mortality.

Clinical implication: A balanced consideration between therapeutic response, different treatment options and risk of cause-specific mortality is needed to prevent premature mortality in BD and to reduce the mortality gap.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

Actions


Access Document


Publisher copy:
10.1136/bmjment-2023-300700

Authors


More by this author
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-5324-9825
More by this author
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-2004-779X


Publisher:
BMJ Publishing Group
Journal:
BMJ Mental Health More from this journal
Volume:
26
Issue:
1
Article number:
e300700
Publication date:
2023-07-18
Acceptance date:
2023-05-13
DOI:
EISSN:
2755-9734
Pmid:
37463759


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1493673
Local pid:
pubs:1493673
Deposit date:
2023-09-08

Terms of use



Views and Downloads






If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record

TO TOP