RESUMO
Después de varias décadas de desarrollo de los fármacos antipsicóticos, la esquizofrenia sigue siendo en gran medida una enfermedad crónica con muchos pacientes que experimentan una mala calidad de vida. En este contexto, la aparición de los llamados antipsicóticos de segunda generación fue recibida con gran entusiasmo. Los clínicos esperaban que los nuevos antipsicóticos causaran no solamente menos efectos secundarios motores que los más antiguos, tal como la clorpromazina, sino también que mejoraran los síntomas y la funcionalidad general de los pacientes. Este artículo, de carácter narrativo, revisa cómo inicialmente la evidencia de un gran número de ensayos controlados aleatorios pareció favorecer muchas de estas suposiciones. Esta visión, sin embargo, no era universal, y algunos investigadores destacaron el potencial efecto del diseño de los estudios en los resultados. Un aspecto importante dice relación con la dosis utilizada de antipsicóticos de primera generación, siendo aquellos ensayos que usaron mayores dosis los que apoyaron el uso de antipsicóticos de segunda generación. Esta controversia se resolvió después de la publicación de tres estudios a gran escala, que incluían pacientes menos seleccionados y que enfocaban los resultados a largo plazo en un entorno clínico más "típico", los cuales no encontraron diferencias significativas entre los dos tipos de antipsicóticos. Desde entonces, las discusiones sobre la elección de los antipsicóticos han girado en torno a otros factores tales como los efectos secundarios, más que en su capacidad para controlar los síntomas.(AU)
After several decades of antipsychotic medication development, schizophrenia has largely remained a chronic disease with many patients experiencing poor quality of life. In this context, the appearance of so-called second generation antipsychotics was received with great enthusiasm. Clinicians hoped that the new antipsychotics would not only cause less motor side effects than older ones such as Chlorpromazine, but also improve patients' symptoms and overall functioning. In this narrative article we review how initially the vidence of a large number of randomized controlled trials appeared to favour many of these claims. This view was not universal though, and some researchers highlighted the potential effect of some design aspects of the trials in the results. A particular concern related to the dose of first generation antipsychotic used, with trials favouring second generation frequently using higher doses. This controversy was resolved after the publication of three large studies, including less selected patients and looking at longer-term outcomes in a more "typical" clinical setting, which failed to find significant differences between the two types of antipsychotics. Since then, discussions about the choice of antipsychotic revolve more around other factors such as side-effects than their capacity to control symptom.(AU)
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Terapêutica , Antipsicóticos , Esquizofrenia , Efeitos Colaterais Metabólicos de Drogas e SubstânciasRESUMO
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a potentially fatal adverse event associated with the use of antipsychotics (AP). The objective of this study was to investigate the profile of cases of NMS and to compare our findings with those published in similar settings. A series of 18 consecutive patients with an established diagnosis of NMS was analyzed, gathering data on demography, symptoms and signs. Two thirds of all cases involved woman with a past medical history of psychiatric disorder receiving relatively high doses of AP. The signs and symptoms of NMS episodes were similar to those reported in other series and only one case had a fatal outcome, the remaining presenting complete recovery. As expected, more than two thirds of our cases were using classic AP (68 percent), however the clinical profile of these in comparison with those taking newer agent was similar. Newer AP also carry the potential for NMS.
A síndrome neuroléptica maligna (SNM) é um evento adverso potencialmente fatal associado ao uso de antipsicóticos (AP). O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as características clínicas de cases da SNM e comparar nossos resultados com os publicados na literatura. Uma série de 18 pacientes com diagnóstico confirmado de SNM foram analisados, associando dados demográficos, apresentação clínica, diagnóstico e tratamento. Dois terços dos casos envolveram mulheres com antecedentes psiquiátricos que recebeceram doses relativamente altas de AP. Os sinais e sintomas foram semelhantes àqueles já relatados na literatura e a maioria dos pacientes teve uma recuperação completa, exceto por um caso com desfecho fatal. Houve predomínio de pacientes que usam medicamentos neurolépticos clássicos (68 por cento), porém não houve diferença nas manifestações destes casos em relação àqueles que usavam AP novos. AP mais novos também têm o potencial de causar SNM.