A recent study from Sweden published in the British Medical Journal (The BMJ) suggests that people diagnosed with OCD may be at a higher risk of dying from natural and unnatural causes than those without OCD. The researchers noted that many natural causes of death are preventable, suggesting that better surveillance, prevention, and early intervention strategies should be implemented to reduce the risk of fatal outcomes in people with OCD.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a typical long-term mental disorder that accounts for about 2% of the general population. It is characterized by intrusive thoughts, urges, or images that trigger feelings of high anxiety and other distress – known as obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which the patient attempts to neutralize these thoughts, impulses, or images through repetitive behaviors or rituals – known as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
OCD is also associated with poor academic performance, poor job prospects, alcohol abuse and drug use disorders, and an increased risk of death.
Previous research on the specific causes of death in patients with OCD has focused on unnatural causes of death (e.g., suicide), but little is known about the specific natural causes of death.
To fill this knowledge gap, researchers began estimating the risk of all-cause and cause-specific death in people with OCD compared to matched unaffected people and their unaffected siblings in the general population.
Using data from multiple population registers in Sweden, they identified 61,378 people with OCD and 613,780 people with non-OCD, matched by gender, year of birth, and county of residence (1:10), and also identified a sibling group of 34,085 people with OCD and 47,874 people with non-OCD. The mean age at diagnosis of OCD was 27 years, and from January 1973 to December 2020, the groups were monitored for an average of 8 years.
Mortality risk study results
Overall, the mortality rate in patients with OCD was higher than in patients without OCD (8. per 1,000 person-years, respectively).1 person and 51 person).
After adjusting for a range of potential influencing factors, including year of birth, gender, county, immigration status, education level, and household income, people with OCD had an 82% increased risk of dying from any cause.
There is a higher excess risk of natural death (31% increased risk) and especially unnatural death (3-fold increased risk).
Among the natural causes of death, people with OCD have an increased risk of death due to respiratory diseases (73%), mental and behavioral disorders (58%), genitourinary disorders (55%), endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders (47%), circulatory disorders (33%), neurological disorders (21%), and digestive disorders (20%).
Among unnatural causes, suicide has the highest risk of death (nearly five times the risk), followed by accidents (92% increase in risk).
Gender differences and research limitations
The researchers noted that women and men had a similar risk of all-cause mortality, but that women with OCD had a higher relative risk of dying from unnatural causes than men with OCD, possibly due to the lower baseline risk for women in the general population.
In contrast, people with OCD have a 10% lower risk of dying from tumors.
This is an observational study, so the cause cannot be determined, and the researchers note that the registry data only includes diagnoses in specialty care. It is unclear whether the findings are applicable to other settings with different populations, health systems, and medical practices.
Nonetheless, this is a large study based on high-quality national data, and the findings remain largely unchanged after further adjustments for mental status and family factors, suggesting that the findings stand up to scrutiny.
Therefore, they concluded"Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and external causes of death, including suicides and accidents, are the leading causes of mortality risk in people with OCD. Better monitoring, prevention, and early intervention strategies should be implemented to reduce the risk of death in people with OCD"。
Compilation**: scitechdaily