title: An open-label randomized comparison of olanzapine versus risperidone in the treatment of childhood-onset schizophrenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) is a clinically severe form of schizophrenia, which causes severe impairment to cognitive, linguistic, and social development. There are few prospective and retrospective open clinical trials of risperidone and olanzapine in COS. In this open-label, randomized, prospective study, we compared the tolerability and effectiveness of risperidone versus olanzapine in the treatment of COS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 25 children with COS (mean age 11.09 +/- 1.55 years). After an evaluation, patients received risperidone (0.25-4.5 mg/day, mean dose 1.62 +/- 1.02 mg/day) or olanzapine (2.5-20 mg/day, mean dose 8.18 +/- 4.41 mg/day) for 12 weeks, with weekly evaluations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups showed comparable significant (p < 0.001) within-group improvement from baseline to endpoint (LOCF) in Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) total and subscale scores. Of the olanzapine-treated children, 11 (91.7%) completed the 12 weeks of the study, whereas in the risperidone-treated children only 9 (69.2%) did. No significant differences between risperidone-treated children and olanzapine-treated children were observed on Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BAS) and Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) rating scales. Both treatment groups showed significant (p < 0.001) increase in weight from baseline to endpoint.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our open-label, small-scale comparative study suggests that both risperidone and olanzapine appear to be efficacious antipsychotic medications in COS, with a slight nonsignificant advantage of olanzapine in the dropout rate.
authors.affiliation: Ness-Ziona Mental Health Center, Children Psychiatric Department, Ness-Ziona, Israel. tmoses@post.tau.ac.il
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mozes
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ebert
authors.forename: Sabbagh-Etun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Michal
authors.forename: Baruch
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spivak
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weizman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017109:Akathisia, Drug-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D000077152:Olanzapine; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018967:Risperidone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D018967:Risperidone; D000077152:Olanzapine