Frequency of neuroleptic malignant syndrome in a large psychiatric hospital in Moscow.
A ten-year prospective survey of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) was performed in a major psychiatric hospital (1,510 beds) in Moscow. All inpatients who developed a persistent and severe extrapyramidal rigidity accompanied by fever after exposure to neuroleptic medication were screened for NMS. The diagnosis of NMS was established according to Levenson's criteria and at a later stage all NMS cases were reevaluated using the DSM-IV research criteria. Data on age, gender and psychiatric diagnoses were analyzed. Of the 78,708 inpatients treated with neuroleptic agents, 19 separate patients had an episode of NMS, for a frequency of 0.02%. Mortality rate was 10.5% (2/19 patients). Of the three potential risk factors studied, only young age (</= 25 years) was significantly associated with an increased frequency of NMS (P < 0. 01). The low rate of NMS found here compared to studies in other countries may be due to the stringent demands for NMS diagnosis. More large-scale prospective studies including detailed clinical and laboratory data are needed to clarify these differences and their impact on the prevalence and risk factors of NMS.
Spivak
B
B
Research Unit, Ness Ziona Mental Health Center, POB 1, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel.
Maline
D I
DI
Kozyrev
V N
VN
Mester
R
R
Neduva
S A
SA
Ravilov
R S
RS
Weizman
A
A
D000328:Adult; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009031:Moscow / Q000453:epidemiology; D009459:Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales