REVERSIBLE NEUTROPENIA DURING A COLD - POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT OF RISPERIDONE - A CASE-REPORT

After 9 days of risperidone therapy (2-6 mg/day), a 24-year-old schizo phrenic female patient developed a leucopenia with neutropenia < 1000/ mm(3). A few days after starting the neuroleptic treatment, she suffer ed from a cold, without fever. All immunological tests performed yield ed negative results except for influenza B virus. The cessation of the risperidone therapy was followed within 48 h by a normalisation of th e WBC differential count. Therefore, in the absence of a rechallenge w ith risperidone for ethical reasons, it cannot be excluded that risper idone represents at least a partial cause of the observed neutropenia.