Serious mental illness and cardiovascular disease mortality in Genesee county, Michigan

BACKGROUND:  On average, people with serious mental illness die 25-30 years sooner than the general population. Approximately 30% of deaths in Genesee County Community Mental Health (GCCMH) consumers are due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigated the association between serious mental illness (SMI) and CVD mortality in Genesee County, Michigan. 

METHODS:  Counts of SMI patients and CVD deaths were grouped by year, age, sex, and race. County population from census data was used to measure the population at risk for CVD mortality. Poisson regression was used to study the association between SMI and CVD mortality. Models were adjusted for demographics and year. 

RESULTS:  There were 6,780 deaths due to CVD in Genesee County residents between 2005 and 2009 and 15,530 mental health patients belonging to GCCMH. Adjusting for demographics and year, the association of SMI with CVD mortality was significant (relative risk, 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-1.89). The association suggested that the risk of CVD mortality was 1.5 times greater for patients with SMI. 

CONCLUSIONS:  Controlling for demographic factors, there was a significant association between SMI and CVD mortality in Genesee County. Future research could collect data on history of SMI within existing cohorts being followed for CVD, which would allow for adjustment of individual level covariates and for a causal relationship between SMI and CVD to be determined.