Year: 2001
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Antipsychotic medications cause a wide range of adverse effects and have been associated with sudden death in psychiatric patients. AIMS: To supply power spectral analysis of heart rate variability as a tool to examine the arrythmogenic effects of neuroleptics. METHOD: Heart rate analysis was carried out in patients with schizophrenia on standard doses of neuroleptic monotherapy -- 21 were on clozapine, 18 on haloperidol and 17 on olanzapine -- and in 53 healthy subjects. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia on clozapine had significantly higher heart rate, lower heart rate variability and lower high-frequency and higher low-frequency components compared with patients on haloperidol or olanzapine and matched control subjects. Prolonged QTc intervals were more common in patients than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with neuroleptic medications, especially clozapine, showed autonomic dysregulation and cardiac repolarisation changes. Physicians should be aware of this adverse reaction.
Institution: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1955497802