Hypochondriacs Face Higher Mortality Risk, Swedish Study Reveals

Despite frequent medical consultations, individuals with health anxiety disorder have an increased risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes, including suicide.

People diagnosed with hypochondriasis, or illness anxiety disorder, have a significantly higher risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes, including suicide, compared to those without the condition, according to a new study.
The study, conducted in Sweden, compared 4,129 individuals diagnosed with hypochondriasis with 41,290 individuals without the condition, matching them based on sex, birth year, and county of residence at the time of diagnosis.
Individuals with hypochondriasis had an 84% higher risk of dying from any cause compared to those without the disorder, and tended to die at a younger age (average 70 years) compared to those without the condition (average 75 years).
Many individuals with hypochondriasis had other psychiatric diagnoses, primarily anxiety-related and depressive disorders. When these comorbidities were factored into the analysis, the risk of death from suicide, while still elevated, was no longer statistically significant.
The study's findings may only represent a fraction of the actual scenario due to the underdiagnosis of hypochondriasis in Sweden. Future research should focus on including data from primary care and exploring other potential factors influencing mortality in individuals with hypochondriasis.