Excess mortality in a cohort of Brazilian patients with a median follow-up of 11 years after the first psychiatric hospital admission

Purpose: To estimate the mortality rates of a cohort of Brazilian patients after their first psychiatric admission and determine the possible risk factors associated with excess mortality.

Methods: The study included a cohort of psychiatric patients hospitalised from Jan 1, 2002 to Dec 31, 2007 in the catchment area of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, Brazil. Data were linked to deaths that occurred between Jan 1, 2002 and Dec 31, 2016 from the SEADE Foundation (state data analysis system of São Paulo). The mortality rate (MR), age-sex-standardised mortality ratio (SMR), life expectancy at birth, and years of life lost (YLL) were computed. The factors associated with mortality were analysed by survival analysis using a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

Results: Of 4019 patients admitted (54.76% male), 803 died (69.74% male) during the follow-up (median = 11.25 years). Mortality rates were approximately three-fold higher than expected (SMR = 2.90, 95% CI 2.71-3.11). The highest mortality rate was noted in men with alcohol-related disorders (SMR = 5.50, 95% CI 4.87-6.19). Male sex (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.62, 95% CI 1.37-1.92), higher age (aHR = 21.47, 95% CI 13.48-34.17), and unemployment (aHR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.05-1.43) significantly increased the mortality risk from all causes. The average YLL was 27.64 years with the highest YLL noted in nonalcohol substance-related disorders (39.22 years). The life expectancy at birth in this cohort was 47.27 years. Unnatural causes of death were associated with nonwhite skin colour and substance-related disorders.

Conclusion: An excess of mortality and a significant reduction in life expectancy of mentally disordered patients who were first admitted to psychiatric beds was noted, particularly patients admitted for substance-related disorders, which should represent a priority in mental health policies.