The effect of long-term antipsychotic treatment on the body weight of patients suffering from chronic schizophrenia: clozapine versus classical antipsychotic agents
B. Spivak et al., The effect of long-term antipsychotic treatment on the body weight of patients suffering from chronic schizophrenia: clozapine versus classical antipsychotic agents, INT CLIN PS, 14(4), 1999, pp. 229-232
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-term clozapine tre
atment on body weight changes in neuroleptic-resistant chronic schizophreni
c patients and to compare it with that of classical antipsychotic agents. T
he body mass index (BMI) of 96 neuroleptic-resistant chronic schizophrenic
patients was calculated before the beginning and after long-term (mean +/-
SD 1.7 +/- 1.3 years) clozapine treatment. These data were compared to the
BMI of 98 chronic schizophrenic patients maintained on classical antipsycho
tic agents for a similar duration (mean +/- SD 1.9 +/- 1.6 years). A signif
icant elevation in BMI was detected in both groups during these periods (P
< 0.0001 versus baseline, for both groups). The change in BMI (Delta BMI) w
as similar in both groups (P < 0.9). We conclude that the increase in body
weight caused by longterm (> 6 months) clozapine treatment is comparable to
that obtained following long-term classical antipsychotic agents treatment
. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 14:229-232 (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkin
s.