High rates of accidental death
The SUD group had the highest rates of death from accidents, possibly from overdoses, suicide, hepatitis C, and alcohol use–related deaths. “Their risks are very specific and appear largely related to substance use,” Dr. Hwong said.
The minimal comorbidity group showed the lowest rates of overall mortality rate (18%) and of cause-specific mortality for most of the included conditions.
Dr. Hwong noted she would like to study this class further. “I’m interested to know who are the people with schizophrenia who are thriving and are successfully aging – to learn what is going well for them.”
The researchers also plan to examine the subgroups in more detail to understand differences in treatments, health care utilization, and outcomes across groups. They are also interested in assessing other predictors of mortality outcomes in addition to multimorbidity.
One limitation of the study is that its cohort consisted of male veterans, so the findings may not be generalizable to other populations. In addition, these were observational data and so the results do not imply causality, Dr. Hwong said.
Dr. Hwong reported no relevant financial relationships, but she is supported by the VA and the UCSF National Clinician Scholars Program.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.