Physical illness in severe depressives and psychiatric alcoholics in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The entire middle-aged male urban population of a Swedish city, as defined by a census in November 1969, was assessed for any mental hospital hospitalization during a 3-year period (1978-1980), as well as for any general hospital hospitalization during a 10-year period (1970-1979) within the catchment area. Inpatients of the mental hospital population belonging to the cohort and put in the categories 'Psychiatric alcoholic spectrum' and 'Severe depression' were studied for diagnoses of physical illness during any general hospital hospitalization. The psychiatric alcoholic spectrum was associated positively with infections, injuries, alcohol intoxication, pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, arthritis/rheumatic diseases and duodenal peptic ulcer; and negatively with malignant neoplasms, myocardial infarction, gallstone disease and urolithiasis. Severe depression was associated positively with infections, myocardial infarction, asthma and alcohol intoxication. A nosologic taxonomy, aimed at explaining the epidemiological associations recorded, is suggested.