October 1, 1989Archives of General Psychiatry267 citations
View Full PaperRisk Factors for Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
Structured PICO
What are the risk factors for developing neuroleptic malignant syndrome in neuroleptic-treated patients?
P
Population
54 neuroleptic-treated patients (18 with neuroleptic malignant syndrome and 36 matched controls with no known history of the syndrome)
I
Intervention
Risk factors (psychomotor agitation, neuroleptic dose, rate of dosage increase, intramuscular injections)
C
Comparator
Matched neuroleptic-treated control patients with no known history of the syndrome
O
Outcome
Identification of potential risk factors for neuroleptic malignant syndrome
Psychomotor agitation, higher neuroleptic doses, rapid dosage increases, and intramuscular injections are significant risk factors for neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
Abstract
A number of risk factors have been proposed for the development of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, but these have not been subjected to controlled study. To address this problem, we performed a case-control study comparing 18 patients with neuroleptic malignant syndrome and 36 matched neuroleptic-treated control patients with no known history of the syndrome to identify potential risk factors. Patients with neuroleptic malignant syndrome displayed significantly greater psychomotor agitation, received significantly higher doses of neuroleptics at greater rates of dosage increase, and received a greater number of intramuscular injections than controls.