Clozapine: weight gain in a pair of monozygotic twins concordant for schizophrenia and mild mental retardation.
Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic known to cause considerable weight gain. The extent to which genetic factors determine weight gain is unknown. Here we report on a pair of female monozygotic twins concordant for schizophrenia and mild mental retardation who were treated with clozapine over 5.5 years. One twin gained a total of 53.1 kg and had a weight of 107.5 kg (BMI=38.1 kg/m2) at the end of the observation period. The other twin gained a total of 48.2 kg and finally had a weight of 100.4 kg (BMI=33.8 kg/m2). Because both patients experienced considerable weight gain during treatment, our observation suggests that the antipsychotic-induced weight gain is under strong genetic control.
Wehmeier
Peter M
PM
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Philipps-University, Hans-Sachs-Str. 4-8, 35033 Marburg, Germany.
Gebhardt
Stefan
S
Schmidtke
Jörg
J
Remschmidt
Helmut
H
Hebebrand
Johannes
J
Theisen
Frank M
FM
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003024:Clozapine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000523:psychology*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects*
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003024:Clozapine