The association between mental illness and all-cause mortality in patients with cirrhosis: a Veterans Affairs retrospective cohort study

Mental health diagnoses are common and known to impact key outcomes in patients with chronic illnesses including cirrhosis. However, the independent impact of psychiatric comorbidities on mortality in these patients and potential mitigating effects of outpatient mental health–related care has not been well characterized. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with cirrhosis in the Veterans Health Administration between 2008 and 2021. Adjusted Cox regression was performed to evaluate the association between mental health–related diagnoses [groups: alcohol use disorder (AUD)/substance use disorder (SUD) alone, non-AUD/SUD alone, and any mental health diagnosis (AUD/SUD or non-AUD/SUD)] and all-cause mortality. In subgroup analyses, the impact of regular outpatient mental health visits was also assessed. RESULTS: We identified 115,409 patients, 81.7% of whom had any mental health diagnosis at baseline. During the study window there was a significant increase in the number of mental health clinic visits per person-year (β=0.078, 95% CI: 0.065–0.092, p < 0.001), but a decrease in AUD/SUD clinic utilization (p < 0.001). In regression models, there was a 54% increased hazard in all-cause mortality for any mental health diagnosis, 11% for non-AUD/SUD, and 44% for AUD/SUD (each p < 0.001). Regular mental health visits resulted in a 21% decreased risk in all-cause mortality for AUD/SUD diagnosis, compared with 3% and 9% for any mental health diagnosis and non-AUD/SUD diagnosis, respectively (each p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mental illness is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in veterans with cirrhosis. Regular outpatient mental health care may be protective against all-cause mortality, particularly among patients with AUD/SUD. Future studies should focus on relevant clinical practice changes, including implementing integrated care programs.