Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness associated an early mortality of 15 to 20 years. Eighty percent of deaths are due to cardiovascular disease, and the risk of sudden cardiac death is three- times greater than the general population. Both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors like lifestyle, medication side-effects, genetics, and healthcare disparities have been identified, but this relationship is not fully understood.

To examine cardiac-related healthcare utilization of individuals with schizophrenia at the end-of-life.

As a retrospective cohort study the Mayo Clinic Unified Data Platform (UDP) was used to identify a schizophrenia group (SG) (n = 610) 50 years or older with a death date between 1/1/1999 – 1/1/2019 and control group (n = 610) matched by gender (53% women) and age of death (72.8 ± 12.4 years). Measures of cardiovascular healthcare utilization were evaluated within a 12-month period prior to death. Pearson’s chi-square (χ2), analysis of variance was used (ANOVA), and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.

SG was more likely than controls to be unmarried, unemployed, or from racial minority groups (all p<0.001) and was more likely to have diabetes mellitus (p<0.001) or cardiovascular disease (p=0.004). SG was less likely to receive an electrocardiogram (ECG) (p<0.001), echocardiogram (p=0.003), or cardiac catheterization procedure (p<0.001), and more likely to receive hemoglobin A1C testing (p<0.001). Of those receiving an ECG, SG had a greater mean QTc interval (453.8 ms vs. 438.0 ms; p<0.001) and were twice as likely to have an ECG result interpreted as “prolonged QTc” (p<0.001).

Between group differences for utilization of troponin or low-density lipoprotein testing, or pacemaker- related procedures were not statistically significant.

Individuals with schizophrenia in this cohort were less likely to receive cardiovascular evaluations and interventions during their last year of life. Despite the higher likelihood for prolonged QTc, a recognized biomarker of cardiac risk, SG was less likely to receive an ECG. Given the greater cardiac comorbidity and higher risk of sudden cardiac death in schizophrenia, interventions are needed to address these disparities in care.