Citation

Munro J, O'Sullivan D, Andrews C, Arana A, Mortimer A, Kerwin R. Br. J. Psychiatry 1999; 175: 576-580.

Affiliation

Institute of Psychiatry, London.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10789357

Abstract

BACKGROUND: People prescribed clozapine for treatment-resistant schizophrenia have mandatory haematological monitoring through a case register for identifying reversible neutropenia. AIMS: To quantify risk factors for agranulocytosis in subjects receiving clozapine. METHOD: Data from 12,760 subjects registered to receive clozapine from January 1990 to April 1997 were analysed. Risk factors for agranulocytosis were quantified using a Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: The risk for agranulocytosis in Asian subjects was 2.4 times that in Caucasians (P = 0.03). There was an age-related increase in risk of 53% per decade (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The case register yielded valuable information for guiding research into the causes of the haematological reactions.

Language: en