title: Early recognition of clozapine-induced myocarditis.
abstract: Recently, there has been an increased recognition of the association of clozapine with myocarditis and myocardiopathy. Commonly used diagnostic tests have very limited sensitivity in diagnosing this potentially life-threatening complication. We present 3 case reports of clozapine-induced myocarditis/cardiomyopathy that illustrate the development of a combined approach involving a clinical questionnaire and diagnostic testing at our hospital. This combination approach helped in the early recognition and successful treatment of clozapine myocarditis in one of our patients. Given the increasing recognition of this adverse reaction, we felt it timely to report our experience in diagnosing and treating this clinical syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Dorothea Dix Hospital, Raleigh, NC 27603, USA. Siddhartha.Annamraju@ncmail.net
authors.forename: Siddhartha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Annamraju
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sheitman
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saik
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stephenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003024:Clozapine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003024:Clozapine