title: Physical illness in psychiatric inpatients: comparison of patients with and without substance use disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical comorbidities and substance use are commonly reported in patients with mental disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine somatic comorbidity in patients with substance use disorders (SUD) compared to patients with mental disorders but no SUD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lifetime prevalence data on mental and physical health status were collected from inpatients in 12 mental health care facilities in five different countries. Differences in somatic comorbidity were examined by means of logistic regression analysis controlling for age and gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 2,338 patients, 447 (19%) had a primary or secondary SUD diagnosis. In comparison to patients with other mental disorders, patients with SUD had a higher prevalence of infectious and digestive diseases but a lower prevalence of endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders. Patterns of physical comorbidities differed according to type of substance used (alcohol use - cardiovascular; tobacco use - respiratory, neoplasms; cannabinoid use - injuries; opioid use - infectious, digestive; benzodiazepine use - endocrine, nutritional, metabolic; stimulants - urogenital).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SUD are related to specific somatic health risks while some of our findings point to potentially protective effects. The widespread prescription of benzodiazepines requires research on physical health effects. Early detection of SUD and their integration into programmes targeting physical comorbidity should be a priority in organizing mental health care.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry II, Ulm University, Günzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Frasch
authors.forename: Jens Ivar
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cordes
authors.forename: Bent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: Signe Olrik
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Wallenstein Jensen
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lauber
authors.forename: Jørgen Achton
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Kenji J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uwakwe
authors.forename: Povl
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Munk-Jørgensen
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kilian
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004194:Disease / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology