title: Increased mortality among people with anxiety disorders: total population study.
abstract: Anxiety disorders and depression are the most common mental disorders worldwide and have a striking impact on global disease burden. Although depression has consistently been found to increase mortality; the role of anxiety disorders in predicting mortality risk is unclear.
  
  
  
  To assess mortality risk in people with anxiety disorders.
  
  
  
  We used nationwide Danish register data to conduct a prospective cohort study with over 30 million person-years of follow-up.
  
  
  
  In total, 1066 (2.1%) people with anxiety disorders died during an average follow-up of 9.7 years. The risk of death by natural and unnatural causes was significantly higher among individuals with anxiety disorders (natural mortality rate ratio (MRR) = 1.39, 95% CI 1.28-1.51; unnatural MRR = 2.46, 95% CI 2.20-2.73) compared with the general population. Of those who died from unnatural causes, 16.5% had comorbid diagnoses of depression (MRR = 11.72, 95% CI 10.11-13.51).
  
  
  
  Anxiety disorders significantly increased mortality risk. Comorbidity of anxiety disorders and depression played an important part in the increased mortality.
authors.affiliation: Sandra M. Meier, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Mental Health Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen Region, Denmark; Manuel Mattheisen, MD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Ole Mors, PhD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark; Preben B. Mortensen, DrMedSc, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Thomas M. Laursen, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Brenda W. Penninx, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands smeier@econ.au.dk.
authors.forename: Sandra M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.affiliation: Sandra M. Meier, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Mental Health Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen Region, Denmark; Manuel Mattheisen, MD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Ole Mors, PhD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark; Preben B. Mortensen, DrMedSc, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Thomas M. Laursen, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Brenda W. Penninx, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mattheisen
authors.affiliation: Sandra M. Meier, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Mental Health Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen Region, Denmark; Manuel Mattheisen, MD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Ole Mors, PhD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark; Preben B. Mortensen, DrMedSc, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Thomas M. Laursen, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Brenda W. Penninx, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mors
authors.affiliation: Sandra M. Meier, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Mental Health Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen Region, Denmark; Manuel Mattheisen, MD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Ole Mors, PhD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark; Preben B. Mortensen, DrMedSc, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Thomas M. Laursen, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Brenda W. Penninx, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Preben B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.affiliation: Sandra M. Meier, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Mental Health Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen Region, Denmark; Manuel Mattheisen, MD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Ole Mors, PhD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark; Preben B. Mortensen, DrMedSc, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Thomas M. Laursen, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Brenda W. Penninx, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Laursen
authors.affiliation: Sandra M. Meier, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Mental Health Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen Region, Denmark; Manuel Mattheisen, MD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Ole Mors, PhD, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, and Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark; Preben B. Mortensen, DrMedSc, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Thomas M. Laursen, PhD, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Brenda W. Penninx, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Brenda W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Penninx
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002423:Cause of Death; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D055815:Young Adult