Research round-up

Abstract

Results from a Danish retrospective cohort study highlight the risk of suicide in people with a neurological disorder. Annette Erlangsen and colleagues included data from 7·3 million people in their study, of whom 1·2 million had a neurological disorder. Over a median follow-up of 23·6 years (IQR 10·0–37·0), there were 35 483 deaths by suicide. The suicide rate in people with a neurological disorder was higher than in individuals without a neurological disorder (44·0 per 100 000 person-years vs 20·1 per 100 000 person-years; adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1·8 [95% CI 1·7–1·8]). The highest risks for suicide were noted in association with Huntington's disease (IRR 4·9 [95% CI 3·1–7·7]), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (4·9 [3·5–6·9]), Guillain-Barré syndrome (2·2 [1·2–4·1]), and multiple sclerosis (2·2 [1·9–2·6]).