General-medical conditions in older patients with serious mental illness.
OBJECTIVE
The burden of medical comorbidities was compared between older (> or =60 years) and younger patients with serious mental illness.


METHODS
Patients (N=8,083) diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder in 2001 were identified from VA facilities in the mid-Atlantic region. Medical comorbidities were identified by an ICD-9-based clinical classification algorithm.


RESULTS
Older, versus younger, patients were more likely to be diagnosed with cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions, and less likely to be diagnosed with substance-use disorders or hepatic conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
More aggressive detection and management of general-medical comorbidities in older patients with serious mental illness is paramount.
Kilbourne
Amy M
AM
VA Pittsburgh Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (151-C), University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, USA. Amy.Kilbourne@med.va.gov
Cornelius
Jack R
JR
Han
Xiaoyan
X
Haas
Gretchen L
GL
Salloum
Ihsan
I
Conigliaro
Joseph
J
Pincus
Harold A
HA
D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology