TY - JOUR

T1 - Undiagnosed disease in decedents with and without schizophrenia

T2 - an autopsy-based case-control study

AU - Puntervold, Oscar Emil

AU - Kruckow, Line

AU - Banner, Jytte

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - BACKGROUND: Individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ) suffer from higher morbidity and mortality than the general population. Some of this is due to concurrent somatic disease.AIMS: To identify and compare the somatic comorbidities antemortem (AM) and postmortem (PM) in autopsied decedents with SCZ and with no mental illness (NMI), using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).MATERIALS: A total of 106 autopsied decedents with SCZ and 156 decedents with NMI were included. AM diagnoses were sampled from Danish national health registers. PM diagnoses were included from forensic autopsies. Negative binomial regression models were used to test associations between age, sex, SCZ diagnosis, manner of death and the CCI score both AM and PM.RESULTS: The CCI score increased significantly from AM to PM for both decedents with SCZ and NMI (SCZ, AM 0.669 vs PM 1.208, p = 0.008) (NMI, AM 0.519 vs PM 1.218, p = 0.000). Regression analysis showed that age was significantly associated with the CCI score both AM and PM (AM, OR 1.044 [1.029-1.060] p ≤ 0.001) (PM, OR 1.028 [1.015-1.041], p ≤ 0.001). A diagnosis of SCZ was correlated with the CCI score AM but not PM (AM, OR 1.880 [1.207-2.928], p = 0.005) (PM, OR 1.170 [0.828-1.654], p = 0.374).CONCLUSION: The autopsies revealed undiagnosed diseases in both decedents with SCZ and NMI. The diseases were primarily of cardiovascular, pulmonary and gastrointestinal origin and may have contributed to premature mortality. Age was the only covariate significantly associated with the CCI score both AM and PM; the SCZ diagnosis was positively correlated to the CCI score before death.

AB - BACKGROUND: Individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ) suffer from higher morbidity and mortality than the general population. Some of this is due to concurrent somatic disease.AIMS: To identify and compare the somatic comorbidities antemortem (AM) and postmortem (PM) in autopsied decedents with SCZ and with no mental illness (NMI), using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).MATERIALS: A total of 106 autopsied decedents with SCZ and 156 decedents with NMI were included. AM diagnoses were sampled from Danish national health registers. PM diagnoses were included from forensic autopsies. Negative binomial regression models were used to test associations between age, sex, SCZ diagnosis, manner of death and the CCI score both AM and PM.RESULTS: The CCI score increased significantly from AM to PM for both decedents with SCZ and NMI (SCZ, AM 0.669 vs PM 1.208, p = 0.008) (NMI, AM 0.519 vs PM 1.218, p = 0.000). Regression analysis showed that age was significantly associated with the CCI score both AM and PM (AM, OR 1.044 [1.029-1.060] p ≤ 0.001) (PM, OR 1.028 [1.015-1.041], p ≤ 0.001). A diagnosis of SCZ was correlated with the CCI score AM but not PM (AM, OR 1.880 [1.207-2.928], p = 0.005) (PM, OR 1.170 [0.828-1.654], p = 0.374).CONCLUSION: The autopsies revealed undiagnosed diseases in both decedents with SCZ and NMI. The diseases were primarily of cardiovascular, pulmonary and gastrointestinal origin and may have contributed to premature mortality. Age was the only covariate significantly associated with the CCI score both AM and PM; the SCZ diagnosis was positively correlated to the CCI score before death.

U2 - 10.1080/08039488.2021.1905877

DO - 10.1080/08039488.2021.1905877

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33823753

VL - 75

SP - 568

EP - 573

JO - Nordisk Psykiatrisk Tidsskrift

JF - Nordisk Psykiatrisk Tidsskrift

SN - 0803-9496

IS - 8

ER -