Clozapine-induced, dilated cardiomyopathy: a case report

Abstract Background Clozapine is known to be a highly effective antipsychotic agent and additionally provides a significant reduction in suicide-risk and aggression. Clozapine-induced cardiomyopathy is a very rare but nonetheless dangerous side-effect, with an incidence of 0.02–0.1%, depending on th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sarah Longhi, Stephan Heres
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2017-07-01
Series:BMC Research Notes
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-017-2679-5
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Summary:Abstract Background Clozapine is known to be a highly effective antipsychotic agent and additionally provides a significant reduction in suicide-risk and aggression. Clozapine-induced cardiomyopathy is a very rare but nonetheless dangerous side-effect, with an incidence of 0.02–0.1%, depending on the literature, and a mortality rate of up to 17.9%. Case presentation We report on the case of a 25 year-old patient, who was admitted for the evaluation of a potential electroconvulsive therapy due to persistent auditory hallucinations under clozapine. Shortly after admission he was found to be suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, likely caused by his antipsychotic treatment. Conclusion Clozapine-induced cardiomyopathy should be taken into account when monitoring patients treated with this antipsychotic and regular electrocardiograms should be performed in order to detect possible alterations as soon as possible.
ISSN:1756-0500