Clozapine-induced, dilated cardiomyopathy: a case report

• Main Authors: Sarah Longhi, Stephan Heres
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2017-07-01
• Series: BMC Research Notes
• Subjects: Clozapine; Cardiomyopathy; Side-effect; Psychosis; Schizophrenia; Case report
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-017-2679-5

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.