Quetiapine in the successful treatment of psychosis and comorbid brittle diabetes mellitus: a case report.
BACKGROUND
As evidence of a biologic determinant of schizophrenia has been elaborated, an interest in the relationship between schizophrenia and autoimmune disorders has become increasingly more developed over the last decade. Pedigree analysis has shown that schizophrenia, like autoimmune disorders, is likely a heritable phenomenon, and a genetic liability in this disorder is hardly disputed. Research has indicated that physiologic connections between IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha are suggestive of a connection between the symptoms associated with schizophrenia and those of hypoglycemic events in IDDM. Autoimmune pathogeneses of schizophrenia have been hypothesized; however, the clinical delineation of a potentially corresponding subset of patients is rarely addressed.


METHODS
We treated a 22-year-old white female who carried the concomitant diagnoses of Schizophrenia, IDDM, and Hypothyroidism with quetiapine and risperidone on an acute basis at our inpatient facility, and observed an apparent resolution of her brittle diabetes with the successful treatment of her psychotic disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
The well documented link between antipsychotic agents and changes in blood glucose may be of benefit in a subset of patients who suffer from both psychotic and diabetic disorders.
Balter
Jordan
J
UMDNJ-SOM Department of Psychiatry, USA. DrJBalter@aol.com
Mofsen
Rick
R
Pinninti
Narsimha
N
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001786:Blood Glucose; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate