Nationwide burden of sudden cardiac death among patients with a psychiatric disorder
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Patients with psychiatric disorders have increased all-cause mortality compared with the general population. Previous research has shown that there is a fourfold increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) among the young. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of SCD in patients with psychiatric disorders aged 18-90 years in the Danish population by systematically reviewing all deaths in 1 year. METHODS: We examined all deaths in Denmark among residents aged 18-90 years in 2010 by reviewing death certificates and autopsy reports. All deaths were categorised as non-SCD or SCD based on the available information. Psychiatric disorder was defined according to International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision criteria or by redemption of a prescription for psychotropic medication within 1 year. RESULTS: Of 4.3 million residents in 2010, we observed 45 703 deaths, of which 6002 were due to SCD. Overall, the incidence rate ratio of SCD was 1.79-6.45 times higher among patients with psychiatric disorders than in the general population and was age dependent (p<0.001 across all age groups). When adjusting for age, sex and comorbidities, psychiatric disorders were independently associated with SCD, with a HR of 2.31 (2.19 to 2.43, p<0.001), and HR was highest among patients with schizophrenic disorders, with a HR of 4.51 (3.95 to 5.16, p <0.001). Furthermore, 18-year-old patients with a psychiatric disorder had an expected 10-year excess loss of life. Patients aged 18-40 with a psychiatric disorder had 13% of excess life years lost caused by SCD. CONCLUSION: In this study, the rate of SCD in patients with psychiatric disorders is higher across all age groups than in the general population. Having a psychiatric disorder is independently associated with SCD. Patients with schizophrenic disease had the highest rates of SCD. Life expectancy for an 18-year old with a psychiatric disorder is estimated to be 10 years shorter in comparison with those without this disorder.
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Patients with schizophrenia have an adjusted hazard of sudden cardiac death approximately 4.5 times higher than peers without psychiatric illness.
“a recent nationwide study in Denmark found that patients with schizophrenia had an adjusted hazard of SCD approximately 4.5 times higher than peers without psychiatric illness [9].”
From Trends in Sudden Death Among Schizophrenia Inpatients (2025) · cites this paper as [9]
The retrieved passages contain bibliographic metadata but no Results passage addressing schizophrenia, adjusted hazard, or a 4.5-fold comparison with people without psychiatric illness. Searches for those terms and paraphrases found no passage in our copy that verifies the claim. (LLM, conf=0.70)
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Trends in Sudden Death Among Schizophrenia Inpatients
Popa, A.-V., Ifteni, P. I., Petric, P. S., Țâbian, D., & Teodorescu, A. (2025) · Medicina · doi:10.3390/medicina61122081
- Authors
- Mujkanovic, J., Warming, P. E., Kessing, L. V., Køber, L. V., Winkel, B. G., Lynge, T. H., & Tfelt-Hansen, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Rigshospitalet (DK)
- Department of Cardiology, Rigshospitalet Hjertecentret, Kobenhavn, Hovedstaden, Denmark
- Corresponding author
- Mujkanovic, Jasmin
- ORCID
- Venue
- Heart
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2024-10-22
- Volume
- 110
- Issue
- 23
- Pages
- 1365-1371
- ISSN
- 1355-6037 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-201X
- OpenAlex
- W4403625809
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 4.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Heart (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- John and Birthe Family Foundation (Not applicable)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Health and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Keywords
- sudden cardiac death, mental illness, schizophrenia, incidence, excess mortality, life expectancy, psychotropic drugs, all-cause mortality, age-related risk, Denmark
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Mental Disorders, Cause of Death, Denmark, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Comorbidity, Incidence, Death, Sudden, Cardiac, Age Distribution, Young Adult
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