OBJECTIVE: Findings from a recent international multi-centre trial are compatible with the idea that long-term lithium treatment extends the survival of patients suffering from affective disorders to match the general population. A similar reduction of mortality was found in Canadian patients, although important questions remained to be answered about cardiovascular and suicide mortality, and patient selection. METHOD: Based on data collected in a study (1) from lithium clinics in Canada, Denmark, Germany and Austria, an analysis was carried out of suicide and cardiovascular mortality in patients who received prophylactic lithium treatment. RESULTS: In patients given lithium for two years or longer (n = 641), both suicide and cardiovascular mortality were the same as, or only slightly higher than, in the general population; in patients given lithium for less than two years (n = 186), both mortalities remained high. The reduced mortality is not likely to be the result of selection because the patients who were treated briefly and those treated for a longer time did not differ in important mortality variables. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to its ability to prevent recurrences, prophylactic lithium treatment appears capable of reducing both the excess suicide risk and excess cardiovascular mortality of affective illness.
OBJECTIVE: Findings from a recent international multi-centre trial are compatible with the idea that long-term lithium treatment extends the survival of patients suffering from affective disorders to match the general population. A similar reduction of mortality was found in Canadian patients, although important questions remained to be answered about cardiovascular and suicide mortality, and patient selection. METHOD: Based on data collected in a study (1) from lithium clinics in Canada, Denmark, Germany and Austria, an analysis was carried out of suicide and cardiovascular mortality in patients who received prophylactic lithium treatment. RESULTS: In patients given lithium for two years or longer (n = 641), both suicide and cardiovascular mortality were the same as, or only slightly higher than, in the general population; in patients given lithium for less than two years (n = 186), both mortalities remained high. The reduced mortality is not likely to be the result of selection because the patients who were treated briefly and those treated for a longer time did not differ in important mortality variables. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to its ability to prevent recurrences, prophylactic lithium treatment appears capable of reducing both the excess suicide risk and excess cardiovascular mortality of affective illness.
Authors: Lakshmi N Yatham; Sidney H Kennedy; Sagar V Parikh; Ayal Schaffer; David J Bond; Benicio N Frey; Verinder Sharma; Benjamin I Goldstein; Soham Rej; Serge Beaulieu; Martin Alda; Glenda MacQueen; Roumen V Milev; Arun Ravindran; Claire O'Donovan; Diane McIntosh; Raymond W Lam; Gustavo Vazquez; Flavio Kapczinski; Roger S McIntyre; Jan Kozicky; Shigenobu Kanba; Beny Lafer; Trisha Suppes; Joseph R Calabrese; Eduard Vieta; Gin Malhi; Robert M Post; Michael Berk Journal: Bipolar Disord Date: 2018-03-14 Impact factor: 6.744
Authors: Eric G Smith; Karen L Austin; Hyungjin Myra Kim; Donald R Miller; Susan V Eisen; Cindy L Christiansen; Amy M Kilbourne; Brian C Sauer; John F McCarthy; Marcia Valenstein Journal: BMC Psychiatry Date: 2014-12-17 Impact factor: 3.630
Authors: T D Gould; P Georgiou; L A Brenner; L Brundin; A Can; P Courtet; Z R Donaldson; Y Dwivedi; S Guillaume; I I Gottesman; S Kanekar; C A Lowry; P F Renshaw; D Rujescu; E G Smith; G Turecki; P Zanos; C A Zarate; P A Zunszain; T T Postolache Journal: Transl Psychiatry Date: 2017-04-11 Impact factor: 6.222
Authors: Benjamin I Goldstein; Bernhard T Baune; David J Bond; Pao-Huan Chen; Lisa Eyler; Andrea Fagiolini; Fabiano Gomes; Tomas Hajek; Jessica Hatch; Susan L McElroy; Roger S McIntyre; Miguel Prieto; Louisa G Sylvia; Shang-Ying Tsai; Andrew Kcomt; Jess G Fiedorowicz Journal: Bipolar Disord Date: 2020-06-08 Impact factor: 6.744