title: Clinical predictors of drug response in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate which clinical variables might influence the antiobsessional response to proserotonergic drugs in a sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). One hundred fifty-nine patients with DSM-IV OCD underwent a 12-week standardized treatment with fluvoxamine, clomipramine, citalopram, or paroxetine. According to treatment response, defined as a reduction of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale total score >35%, patients were divided into two groups. Ninety patients (56.6%) responded to treatment and 69 (43.4%) did not. Responders had a significantly higher frequency of positive family history for OCD (FH-OCD) in their first-degree relatives, whereas nonresponders had an earlier onset and a higher frequency of "poor insight" subtype and somatic obsessions. The predictive value of all these variables was tested by a stepwise logistic regression analysis that confirmed poor insight and FH-OCD to be the best predictors of poor and good drug treatment response, respectively. These preliminary findings need additional investigations toward a better definition of the genetic and biological heterogeneity of patients with OCD, and they underlie the importance of collecting the insight score and family history for psychiatric disorders in the pretreatment assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatric Sciences, S. Raffaele Hospital, University of Milan School of Medicine, Milano, Italy. erzegovesi.stefano@hsr.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erzegovesi
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cavallini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cavedini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diaferia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bellodi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015283:Citalopram / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011897:Random Allocation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015283:Citalopram; D002997:Clomipramine; D016666:Fluvoxamine; D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors