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All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Individuals With Hypochondriasis
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
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2024 (English)In: JAMA psychiatry, ISSN 2168-6238, E-ISSN 2168-622X, Vol. 81, no 3, p. 284-291Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

IMPORTANCE: Hypochondriasis, also known as health anxiety disorder, is a prevalent, yet underdiagnosed psychiatric disorder characterized by persistent preoccupation about having serious and progressive physical disorders. The risk of mortality among individuals with hypochondriasis is unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate all-cause and cause-specific mortality among a large cohort of individuals with hypochondriasis.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This Swedish nationwide matched-cohort study included 4129 individuals with a validated International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) diagnosis of hypochondriasis assigned between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2020, and 41 290 demographically matched individuals without hypochondriasis. Individuals with diagnoses of dysmorphophobia (body dysmorphic disorder) assigned during the same period were excluded from the cohort. Statistical analyses were conducted between May 5 and September 27, 2023. EXPOSURE: Validated ICD-10 diagnoses of hypochondriasis in the National Patient Register.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: All-cause and cause-specific mortality in the Cause of Death Register. Covariates included birth year, sex, county of residence, country of birth (Sweden vs abroad), latest recorded education, civil status, family income, and lifetime psychiatric comorbidities. Stratified Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

RESULTS: Of the 4129 individuals with hypochondriasis (2342 women [56.7%]; median age at first diagnosis, 34.5 years [IQR, 26.3-46.1 years]) and 41 290 demographically matched individuals without hypochondriasis (23 420 women [56.7%]; median age at matching, 34.5 years [IQR, 26.4-46.2 years]) in the study, 268 individuals with hypochondriasis and 1761 individuals without hypochondriasis died during the study period, corresponding to crude mortality rates of 8.5 and 5.5 per 1000 person-years, respectively. In models adjusted for sociodemographic variables, an increased rate of all-cause mortality was observed among individuals with hypochondriasis compared with individuals without hypochondriasis (HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.47-1.93). An increased rate was observed for both natural (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.38-1.85) and unnatural (HR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.61-3.68) causes of death. Most deaths from unnatural causes were attributed to suicide (HR, 4.14; 95% CI, 2.44-7.03). The results were generally robust to additional adjustment for lifetime psychiatric disorders.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This cohort study suggests that individuals with hypochondriasis have an increased risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes, particularly suicide, compared with individuals from the general population without hypochondriasis. Improved detection and access to evidence-based care should be prioritized.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Medical Association (AMA), 2024. Vol. 81, no 3, p. 284-291
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-110362DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4744ISI: 001125352600001PubMedID: 38091000Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85181006109OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-110362DiVA, id: diva2:1820316
Funder
Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2015-00569; 2021-00132Stockholm County Council, 20160143; 20180078; 963608)Swedish Society of Medicine, SLS-879801Karolinska Institute, FS-2018:0007Available from: 2023-12-18 Created: 2023-12-18 Last updated: 2024-03-22Bibliographically approved

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