Risk for Psychiatric Disorder, Suicide Attempt Increased After CVD Hospitalization

THURSDAY, Aug. 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Patients hospitalized for cardiovascular disease (CVD) have an increased subsequent risk for psychiatric disorders and suicide attempt, especially within one year, according to a study published online July 31 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Jie Yang, M.D., from the West China Hospital at Sichuan University in Chengdu, and colleagues conducted a matched cohort study involving 63,923 patients who were first hospitalized with a CVD diagnosis between 1997 and 2020 and 127,845 matched unexposed controls to examine the subsequent risk for psychiatric disorders and suicide attempt following CVD. To explore the possible effect of genetic susceptibility on the observed associations, analyses were stratified by polygenic risk score for each studied psychiatric condition.

The researchers found that compared with unexposed individuals, CVD patients had an increased risk for any psychiatric disorders and suicide attempt, especially within one year following CVD (fully adjusted hazard ratio within one year, 1.83; hazard ratio after one year, 1.24). The increased risks were seen for any psychiatric disorders and suicide attempt following most categories of CVDs. Little impact of genetic predisposition to studied psychiatric conditions was seen on observed associations in analyses stratified by polygenic risk score.

“Timely assessment and psychological interventions were necessary for this vulnerable population, irrespective of the genetic susceptibility level,” the authors write. “Not only is it important to focus on cardiovascular disease itself, but the role of cardiologists in the psychiatric-psychological attention of patients with cardiovascular disease is also important.”

Abstract/Full Text