第2047期:Those Who Fear Illness Die Earlier

A large Swedish study has found an unexpected finding about people diagnosed with extreme fear of serious illness. It found they are more likely to die earlier than people who are not as concerned about their health. 瑞典的一项大型研究发现了一个关于被诊断出对严重疾病极度恐惧的人的意外发现。研究发现，与那些不那么关心自己健康的人相比，他们更有可能早逝。 Hypochondriasis, now called illness anxiety disorder, is a rare condition with symptoms that go beyond average health concerns. People with the disorder are unable to lose their fears despite normal doctor visits and lab tests. Some may change doctors repeatedly. Others may avoid medical care.疑病症，现在称为疾病焦虑症，是一种罕见的疾病，其症状超出了一般的健康问题。尽管进行正常的医生就诊和实验室检查，患有这种疾病的人仍无法消除恐惧。有些人可能会反复更换医生。其他人可能会避免医疗护理。 Dr. Jonathan E. Alpert of Montefiore Medical Center in New York said, “Many of us are mild hypochondriacs.” But he added there are also people on the extreme side of it who are always worrying and thinking about whether they have a serious illness. 纽约蒙蒂菲奥里医疗中心的乔纳森·E·阿尔珀特博士说：“我们中的许多人都是轻度疑病症患者。” 但他补充说，也有一些极端的人总是担心和思考自己是否患有严重的疾病。 People with the disorder are suffering and “it’s important to take it seriously and to treat it,” said Alpert, who was not involved in the new study. Treatment can include behavioral therapy, calming methods, education, and sometimes mental health medication. 阿尔珀特没有参与这项新研究，他说，患有这种疾病的人正在遭受痛苦，“认真对待它并进行治疗很重要”。治疗方法包括行为疗法、镇静方法、教育，有时还包括心理健康药物。 The researchers have found that people with the condition have an increased risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes, including suicide. Continuing stress and its effects on the body could explain some of the differences, the writers said. The study was published recently in JAMA Psychiatry. 研究人员发现，患有这种疾病的人因自然和非自然原因（包括自杀）死亡的风险增加。作者说，持续的压力及其对身体的影响可以解释一些差异。该研究最近发表在《美国医学会杂志精神病学》上。 David Mataix-Cols of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden led the research. “We got lucky,” he said, because the Swedish system for organizing disease has a separate entry for hypochondriasis. That permitted research on thousands of people over 24 years, from 1997 to 2020. 瑞典卡罗林斯卡学院的戴维·马泰克斯-科尔斯领导了这项研究。“我们很幸运，”他说，因为瑞典的疾病组织系统有一个单独的疑病症条目。这使得从 1997 年到 2020 年的 24 年间对数千人进行了研究。 Older research had suggested the risk of suicide might be lower for people with the condition. Mataix-Cols said their research found that statement was incorrect. In the study, the risk of suicide death was four times higher for people with the condition.较早的研究表明，患有这种疾病的人自杀的风险可能较低。Mataix-Cols 表示，他们的研究发现这种说法是不正确的。在这项研究中，患有这种疾病的人自杀死亡的风险高出四倍。 They looked at 4,100 people with hypochondriasis and matched them with 41,000 people similar in age, sex, and where they lived. They used a measurement called person years, which measures the number of people and how long they were followed. 他们对 4,100 名疑病症患者进行了研究，并将他们与 41,000 名年龄、性别和居住地相似的人进行了匹配。他们使用了一种称为“人年”的测量方法，该方法可以测量人数以及他们被跟踪的时间。Overall death rates were higher in the people with hypochondriasis, 8.5 instead of 5.5 per 1,000 person years. People with the condition died younger than the others, with a mean age of 70 instead of 75. The risk of death from diseases related to body systems, such as breathing and eating, was higher. The risk of death from cancer, however, was about the same. 疑病症患者的总体死亡率更高，为每 1000 人年 8.5 人，而不是 5.5 人。患有这种疾病的人比其他人更早去世，平均年龄为 70 岁，而不是 75 岁。死于呼吸和饮食等身体系统相关疾病的风险更高。然而，死于癌症的风险大致相同。 Alpert leads the American Psychiatric Association’s group on research. He said more care is needed when suggesting a patient to mental health professionals. Patients can become angry because they feel they are being accused of imagining symptoms. 阿尔珀特领导美国精神病学协会的研究小组。他说，在向心理健康专业人士推荐患者时需要更加小心。患者可能会生气，因为他们觉得自己被指责是想象症状。 Alpert added, “… fortunately, there are good treatments.” 阿尔珀特补充道，“……幸运的是，有很好的治疗方法。”