Risperidone versus olanzapine for the treatment of delirium.
OBJECTIVE
This study compared the effectiveness of risperidone and olanzapine in the treatment of delirium.


METHODS
This was a 7-day, randomized, comparative clinical trial of risperidone and olanzapine in patients with delirium. The primary outcome measure was the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R-98).


RESULTS
We enrolled 32 subjects (median age, 70 years). Significant within-group improvements in the DRS-R-98 scores over time were observed at every time point in both treatment groups; however, differences in the change of the DRS-R-98 score from baseline were not significant between the treatment groups. On the first day after drug treatment, there was a trend toward greater improvement in the DRS-R-98 score in the olanzapine group compared with the risperidone group, but it did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.076). The response rates did not differ significantly between the two groups (risperidone group: 64.7%, olanzapine group: 73.3%). However, the response to risperidone was significantly poorer in patients >or=70 years of age compared with those aged <70 years. There was no significant difference in the safety profiles, including extrapyramidal symptoms (EPSs), between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Risperidone and olanzapine were equally effective in reducing delirium symptoms. The response to risperidone was poorer in the older age group.
Department of Psychiatry, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Sung-Wan
SW
Kim
Joon-An
JA
Yoo
Sam-Yeon
SY
Lee
Seon-Young
SY
Kim
Kyung-Yeol
KY
Bae
Su-Jin
SJ
Yang
Jae-Min
JM
Kim
Il-Seon
IS
Shin
Jin-Sang
JS
Yoon
D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003693:Delirium / Q000188:drug therapy*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000077152:Olanzapine; D018967:Risperidone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D018967:Risperidone; D000077152:Olanzapine