Sudden deaths in psychiatric patients
Peter Manu1, John M Kane, Christoph U Correll
1Medical Services, Zucker Hillside Hospital, 75-59 263rd St, Glen Oaks, NY 11004, USA. pmanu@lij.edu
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
|June 16, 2011
Summary
Sudden unexplained deaths in psychiatric patients were not linked to antipsychotic drug use. Instead, diabetes and dyslipidemia emerged as potential risk factors requiring further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Previous studies suggested a link between antipsychotic drug use and sudden cardiac death.
- However, these studies may have underestimated other causes of sudden death.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causes and risk factors of sudden death in psychiatric patients over a 26-year period.
- To analyze deaths occurring in adults receiving care at a large psychiatric hospital in New York.
Main Methods:
- Extracted data on circumstances, diagnoses, medications, and medical history from root cause analyses of sudden deaths.
- Excluded suicide, homicide, and overdose cases, then compared clinical variables and antipsychotic use in explained vs. unexplained sudden deaths.
Main Results:
- Identified 100 sudden deaths, with 52 remaining unexplained.
- Incidence of unexplained sudden death rose significantly from 1984-1998 to 2005-2009.
- Dyslipidemia and diabetes were more prevalent in the unexplained sudden death group, not antipsychotic use.
Conclusions:
- Unexplained sudden deaths in psychiatric patients were not associated with increased antipsychotic medication use.
- Diabetes and dyslipidemia warrant further study as potential risk factors for sudden death in this population.
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