Mortality of geriatric and younger patients with schizophrenia in the community.
Little is known about the differences in mortality among non-institutionalized geriatric and younger patients with schizophrenia. In this study long-term mortality and suicidal behavior of all the geriatric (age > or = 65 years), middle-age (age 41-64 years), and young (age 15-40 years) subjects with schizophrenia living in a Chinese rural community were compared. A 10 year follow-up investigation among a 1994 cohort (n = 510) of patients with schizophrenia was conducted in Xinjin County, Chengdu, China. Compared with young subjects, geriatric subjects with schizophrenia were more likely to be female, have more previous physical illness, never accepted treatment, and practice religious (p < or = 0.01). There were no significant differences of suicide attempts among the three groups. Young subjects had a higher rate of suicide (1,033.8 per 100,000 person-years), and geriatric subjects had a higher rate of deaths due to other causes (accident and natural causes) (4,314.2 per 100,000 person-years). Standardized mortality ratios for both suicide and deaths due to other causes were highest in young subjects and the lowest in geriatric subjects. Patients with schizophrenia in all age groups had a marked increase in mortality and suicide. Specific intervention strategies for decreasing mortality and suicide should be developed for patients with schizophrenia in different age groups.
Ran
Mao-Sheng
MS
College of Professional Studies, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam. ranmaosh@yahoo.com
Chan
Cecilia Lai-Wan
CL
Chen
Eric Yu-Hai
EY
Tang
Cui-Ping
CP
Lin
Fu-Rong
FR
Li
Li
L
Li
Si-Gan
SG
Mao
Wen-Jun
WJ
Hu
Shi-Hui
SH
Schwab
Gerhard
G
Conwell
Yeates
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002423:Cause of Death; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data