Neocortical gray matter volume in first-episode schizophrenia and first-episode affective psychosis: a cross-sectional and longitudinal MRI study.

BACKGROUND: Overall neocortical gray matter (NCGM) volume has not been studied in first-episode schizophrenia (FESZ) at first hospitalization or longitudinally to evaluate progression, nor has it been compared with first-episode affective psychosis (FEAFF). METHODS: Expectation-maximization/atlas-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tissue segmentation into gray matter, white matter (WM), or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at first hospitalization of 29 FESZ and 34 FEAFF, plus 36 matched healthy control subjects (HC), and, longitudinally approximately 1.5 years later, of 17 FESZ, 21 FEAFF, and 26 HC was done. Manual editing separated NCGM and its lobar parcellation, cerebral WM (CWM), lateral ventricles (LV), and sulcal CSF (SCSF). RESULTS: At first hospitalization, FESZ and FEAFF showed smaller NCGM volumes and larger SCSF and LV than HC. Longitudinally, FESZ showed NCGM volume reduction (-1.7%), localized to frontal (-2.4%) and temporal (-2.6%) regions, and enlargement of SCSF (7.2%) and LV (10.4%). Poorer outcome was associated with these LV and NCGM changes. FEAFF showed longitudinal NCGM volume increases (3.6%) associated with lithium or valproate administration but without clinical correlations and regional localization. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal NCGM volume reduction and CSF component enlargement in FESZ are compatible with post-onset progression. Longitudinal NCGM volume increase in FEAFF may reflect neurotrophic effects of mood stabilizers.     

中药预防抗精神病药物所致副反应初探

目的：研究中药对于抗精神病药物所致高血糖、高血脂与其它副反应的预防作用。方法：对110例男性病人随机分为两组，对照组57例单服抗精神病药物，研究组53例在服抗精神病药物的同时加服中药。治疗结束时，用治疗中需要处理的不良反应症状量表（TESS）进行测评，并测定空腹血糖、血胆固醇和甘油三酯。结果：研究组6项症状的发生率均少于对照组（P〈0．05），对照照组血糖、胆固醇、甘油三脂均值显著高于研究组（P〈0．05）。结论：中药对于抗精神病药物所致高血糖、高血脂及其他副反应有预防作用。     

抗精神病药物对心电图的影响分析

目的：探讨抗精神病药物与心电图异常的关系．方法：对342例住院精神病人用药后ECG变化进行分析，以性别、年龄、住院时间进行比较．结果：174例ECG异常，各种药物所致ECG异常的发生率无明显差异。〉40岁者较〈40岁者ECG异常改变的明显增高．结论：抗精神病药物均可引起ECG异常。用药期间应注意定期检查ECG．     

某院1999～2002年抗精神病药物的应用分析

目的:了解本院抗精神病药的应用状况及发展趋势.方法:采用金额排序和频度分析方法对本院1999～2002年抗精神病药的应用情况进行统计分析.结果:抗精神病药的年用药金额及治疗日数(DDDs)逐年提高,2002年各种抗精神病药年用药金额及DDDs分别是1999年的 2.15倍和 1.37倍.氯氮平、氯丙嗪、舒必利、奋乃静的DDDs始终分别列在前四位.非典型抗精神病药年用金额及DDDs增长幅度较大,其中氯氮平、利培酮临床使用率较高,其DDDs始终列第一和第五位,所占金额比例也较大.结论:非典型抗精神病药的使用有逐年上升的趋势,应用前景广阔;尚需开发出疗效确切、价格低廉、毒副作用小的抗精神病药.     

Antipsychotic switching: results from a one-year prospective,observational study of patients with schizophrenia

ABSTRACT

Objective: The Health Outcomes of a Canadian Community Cohort (HOCCC) study is a 1-year prospective observational study of outpatients with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders. The purpose of the study was to compare effectiveness of antipsychotic treatment as measured by 1-year treatment completion rates.

Design and methods: Patients (N?=?929) were enrolled if in the course of usual clinical practice they switched to a second-generation antipsychotic (SGA). Observational data were collected for up to 1 year. The primary analysis compared 1-year treatment-completion rates for the olanzapine cohort with the other SGA cohort (quetiapine, risperidone, clozapine), using a chi-squared test.

Results: Of 929 patients enrolled, 64.8% (516/796) of evaluable patients completed 1 year of treatment. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of treatment completers between the olanzapine cohort (67.4%, 256/380) and the other SGA cohort (62.5%, 260/416). Treatment-completion rates were risperidone 62.0% (127/205), quetiapine 63.7% (123/193) and clozapine 55.6% (10/18). Antipsychotic polypharmacy was common. Patients treated with olanzapine or risperidone had significantly higher increases in BMI than quetiapine-treated patients. There were no major differences between olanzapine monotherapy and pooled other SGA monotherapy groups in status of extrapyramidal symptoms from baseline to endpoint.

Conclusions: Olanzapine and other SGAs exhibited similar rates of 1-year treatment completion. Further study of medication combinations is needed, given their perceived clinical value, and the high frequency of antipsychotic polypharmacy in clinical practice.

Limitations: As most patients received several psychotropics and power was reduced in monotherapy analyses, comparisons between cohorts must be interpreted cautiously. Comparisons between individual antipsychotics were post hoc and not powered a priori. Accuracy and completeness of adverse event information for drugs other than olanzapine is limited.     

Eight-year follow-up of olanzapine therapy in a previous treatment-refractory schizophrenic patient: a case report

The introduction of atypical antipsychotic drugs during the 1990s represented a great step forward in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychoses. These drugs might more effectively prevent relapse because of their effectiveness against a wider range of schizophrenic symptoms, as well as their improved tolerability, which leads to improved medication compliance. Olanzapine, a thienobenzodiazapine, is an antipsychotic drug with high affinity for the serotonergic receptors 5-HT 2 and 5-HT 6 and high affinity for dopaminergic receptors, mainly D2, D3 and D4, and with a lower propensity to cause extrapyramidal symptoms or increasing prolactin levels. The long-term efficacy and safety of olanzapine for treating treatment-refractory schizophrenia is still being investigated. The authors present a case of a 43-year-old man suffering from chronic treatment-resistant schizophrenia with both positive and negative symptoms, who was successfully treated with olanzapine for 8 years. (Int J Psych Clin Pract 2002; 6: 211-214 )     

Humanistic burden in schizophrenia: A literature review

Objectives of the study and backgroundSchizophrenia is a complex disease that affects 1% of the population. This disease has a considerable impact not only on patients' health and well-being but also on their surrounding environment. The costs of the disease's management remain large for individuals and society. While literature on the economic impact of schizophrenia is abundant, few studies have focused on its humanistic burden. This does not only concern patients, but also caregivers, relatives, neighbours and others in a patient's daily life. This burden appears through several dimensions, including treatment side effects and the impact on caregivers and features of the patient's environment. The aim of this review is to consider, compile and describe the humanistic burden of schizophrenia as documented in the literature.Materials and methodsWe conducted a literature review assessing the worldwide disease burden of schizophrenia, taking into account all humanistic burden topics. The search considered several databases, including Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, The German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI) and the ISPOR conference websites.ResultsThe search identified 200 literature reviews, covering several dimensions of humanistic burden and documenting many issues. Main findings included the high death rates that may be explained by long-lasting negative health habits, disease- and treatment-related metabolic disorders, and consequent increased frequencies of cardiovascular diseases. Co-existing depression was found to have adverse consequence on the course of schizophrenia progression, morbidity and mortality. Cognitive impairment also adds to the burden of schizophrenia. Social impairment is worsened by underestimated stigmatisation and lack of corresponding awareness within the professional and social spheres. Finally, caregiver burden was found to be considerable.DiscussionHumanistic burden among patients with schizophrenia is substantial potentially impacted by co-morbid depressive symptoms, caregiver burden and cognitive impairment. Effects of treatment on humanistic burden in addition to economic burden need to be explored in future trials.     

Increased all-cause mortality with psychotropic medication in Parkinson's disease and controls: A national register-based study

AimUse of medication and polypharmacy is common as the population ages and its disease burden increases. We evaluated the association of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics and combinations of psychotropic drugs with all-cause mortality in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and a matched group without PD.MethodWe identified 5861 PD patients and 31,395 control subjects matched by age, gender and marital status, and obtained register data on medication use and vital status between 1997 and 2007.ResultsAll-cause mortality was significantly higher with the use of most groups of psychotropic medication in PD patients and controls. Hazard ratios were as follows for the medication types: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors, PD HR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.04−1.36; Control HR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.64−1.91; benzodiazepines, PD HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.99−1.38; Control HR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.29−1.51; benzodiazepine-like drugs, PD HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.11−1.59; Control HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.18−1.37; first-generation antipsychotics, PD HR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.42−2.53; Control HR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.82−2.47; second-generation antipsychotics, PD HR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.20−1.76; Control HR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.66−2.43; and combinations of these drugs compared with non-medicated PD patients and controls. Discontinuation of medication was associated with decreased mortality in both groups.ConclusionsThe use of psychotropic medication in the elderly is associated with increased mortality, independent of concurrent neurodegeneration due to PD. Confounding by indication may partly explain the higher hazard ratios in medicated controls compared with medicated PD patients. Our findings indicate that neurodegeneration should not be a separate contraindication per se for the use of psychotropic drug in patients with PD, but its use should be based on careful clinical evaluation and follow-up.