title: The intercontinental schizophrenia outpatient health outcomes (ic-soho) study: baseline clinical and functional characteristics and antipsychotic use patterns in the central and eastern europe (cee) region.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the baseline findings of the Intercontinental Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (IC-SOHO) study in the Central and Eastern European sub-region (CEE-SOHO).
  
  
  METHODS
  The IC-SOHO study is an ongoing prospective, three-year, non-interventional observational study of schizophrenia treatment, clinical characteristics and mental health services utilization in eight Central and Eastern European countries. The study population consists of non-hospitalized patients who had initiated treatment with or changed to a new antipsychotic.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The baseline findings of the IC-SOHO study (CEE-SOHO Subset) appear to reflect clinical practice in Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and Lithuania (N=2,247). Overall, the patients were moderately to markedly ill and either overweight or obese (61.1%) when they entered the study. Functionally, the majority of patients was not involved in a relationship, could not care for themselves and was unemployed. Substance and alcohol dependency/abuse was not a problem in this study population. At baseline, half of the patients were treated with the newer atypical antipsychotics; and anxiolytics/hypnotics were the most commonly prescribed concomitant medication. Sexual side effects were most frequently reported among the surveyed adverse events. Overall patient compliance/ adherence to medication was good.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The baseline IC-SOHO data highlighted various clinical and functional characteristics and antipsychotic use patterns in a group of outpatients with schizophrenia in a naturalistic setting. Once completed, the IC-SOHO study will add further to this knowledge base.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Physician Neuroscience, Eli Lilly Regional Operations, Vienna, Austria, korb_frans@lilly.com.
authors.forename: Frans A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Korb
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Trzebiatowska
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Janikova
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Winkler-Skaza
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ilies
authors.forename: Dalia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peciukaitiene
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anders
authors.forename: Lajos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Antoly B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Smulevich
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dossenbach