Early recognition and treatment of coronary artery disease must become a clinical priority for all adults with schizophrenia, say researchers who studied autopsy data for schizophrenia patients who died suddenly in hospital.
Peter Manu (Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, New York, USA) and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 7189 schizophrenia patients admitted to a public, psychiatric teaching hospital in Romania from 1989 to 2013. Of these, 57 (0.8%) died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Autopsies were performed in 51 (89.5%) patients (mean age 56 years, 57% men) and showed that cardiovascular disorders were the most common cause of sudden death, occurring in 62.8% of cases.