engleski

Treatment with six different antipsychotics: evaluation by scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS)

Background was to compare treatment with six different antipsy¬chotics, measured by SANS. 90 patients, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia according to DSM-IV criteria, were divided into six groups (each comprised 15 patients), each taking different antipsychotic (risper- idon, olanzapine, quetiapine, haloperidol, flufenazine or clozapine). SANS was used in order to measure symptomatic changes during six months treatment with antipsychotics. Inclusion criteria were: outpatient treatment and oneTweek without antipsychotic therapy prior to inclusion in the investigation. The first assessment (base¬line) was made upon the inclusion. The second assessment was made after one week of continuous treatment. The third assessment was made after two weeks and the fourth assessment after four weeks of continuous treatment. The following assessments were performed every four weeks during the period of nine months. The patients who discontinued the therapy were assessed on the last day of therapy, and their results were added to the results of other patients from the group. After one month of continuous treatment, the improve¬ment in symptoms was significantly better in the groups of patients treated with olanzapine, risperidone and quetiapine, compared to those treated with haloperidol, flufenazine and clozapine. After six months the improvement in symptoms was significantly better in the groups of patients treated with olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine and clozapine compared to those treated with haloperidol and flufenazine. After nine months of continuous treatment there was no significant difference in symptoms between the six groups of patients. Results suggest that negative symptoms of schi¬zophrenia improve in shorter period of time when treated with third generation of antipsychotics, compared to first and second genera¬tion of antipsychotics, measured, by SANS.

treatment; antipsychotics; scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS)

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