Jasmin Mujkanovic and colleagues at Copenhagen University Hospital conducted a population-based cohort study and found that long-term antidepressant use is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. The analysis included all deaths in Danish residents aged 18–90 that occurred in 2010. Calculations were adjusted for age, gender, and comorbidities. The results were presented at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology (EHRA 2025) and are included in a press release.
Of the 4.3 million Danish residents of this age group, 45,701 died in 2010, 6,002 of whom died from sudden cardiac death. 644,000 people were taking antidepressants prior to that year, and 1,981 of them experienced sudden cardiac death in 2010. For treatment durations of one to five years, the odds ratio was 1.56, and for six years or more, the odds ratio was 2.17 (p < 0.001 for both). The increased risk was particularly pronounced in the 40–79 age group.
