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ACS confers increased risk for suicide
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Patients with ACS are at a 15% higher risk for suicide than otherwise healthy adults, study data show.
“Numerous meta-analyses, prospective studies and systematic reviews have shown that depression is common in patients with ACS,” Jung-Chen Chang, PhD, assistant professor at the School of Nursing in the College of Medicine at National Taiwan University, and colleagues wrote. “A strong association exists between depression and increased morbidity and mortality post-ACS. Approximately 20% of patients with ACS report depressive disorders, and an even larger proportion experience subclinical levels of depressive symptoms.”
Using the Health and Welfare Data Science Center and mortality registry in Taiwan, Chang and colleagues compared 41,050 (68.5% men) adults aged at least 35 years who had committed suicide between 2000 and 2012 with 164,200 referents matched by age, sex and area of residence (68.5% men).
In the case group, 2.5% (n = 1,057) of adults had ACS compared with 1.5% (n = 2,412) of those in the referent group (OR = 1.75; 95% CI, 1.62-1.88). After adjustment for cofounders of diabetes, chronic kidney disease and psychiatric illness, ACS was significantly associated with increased risk for suicide (OR = 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.26).
The risk for suicide was highest 0 to 6 months after diagnosis of ACS (OR = 3.05; 95% CI, 2.55-3.65) and remained high for at least 4 years, according to Chang and colleagues. The risk also increased with age and frequency of health system utilization.
“Our findings suggest a crucial implication that ACS patients in the Asia-Pacific region are at a high risk of suicide,” researchers wrote. “We suggest clinicians pay attention to patients who have multiple comorbidities, including ACS, for the potential elevated odds of suicide.” – by Cassie Homer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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