Is exposure to clozapine in the elderly adult associated with risk of leukopenia?

摘要

Introduction: Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic used in refractory schizophrenia. It is theonly antipsychotic that requires hematological control because the risk of agranulocytosis ispotentially fatal, limiting its use. It is not clear if this risk increases in older adults: some studieshave shown that clozapine-induced neutropenia is more prevalent in old age, while others havenot shown such an increase. Objetive: Quantify the risk of leukopenia in elderly patients whoare clozapine users. Material and Method: A case-control study was conducted in elderly usersof clozapine from HHHA during the years 2001-2016. The clozapine program cards, the HHHAdigital statistical databases and the National Clozapine Program were reviewed. The number ofusers with adverse hematological events and the age of the patients were quantified to differentiatethem in patients older patients (exposed) or under 60 years old (not exposed), and if these had(cases) or not, alarm events (controls). A stratified analysis was performed. Results: The use ofclozapine in older adults was protective for the development of leukopenia.