Biomedical subjects

S B Kreinbrook

Publications and source records attributed to S B Kreinbrook.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

The effects of clozapine on negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia with minimal positive symptoms.

The effectiveness of clozapine in the treatment of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia remains controversial, as improvements in negative symptoms are invariably accompanied by improvements in positive symptoms and neurological side effects. We examined the effectiveness of treatment with clozapine on negative symptoms in a cohort of patients with minimal positive symptoms. Improvements in positive and negative symptoms were measured by BPRS ratings in a subgroup of schizophrenic patients (n=17, from a state hospital cohort of 75) with minimal positive symptoms, who had received clozapine for 6 months. In this subgroup, significant improvements were noted by a composite score on the three negative symptom items of emotional withdrawal, blunted affect, and motor retardation. Positive and depressive symptoms remained unchanged. The remaining cohort (n=58) showed improvements in overall psychopathology including positive, negative, and depressive symptoms. Interestingly, nearly 50% of each group were discharged from the hospital. These findings suggest that clozapine may be beneficial in the treatment of core negative symptoms, even in the absence of other improvements in psychopathology. This effect of clozapine may be a function of its unique pharmacological profile.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Clozapine use in female geriatric patients with psychoses.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical response of geriatric patients with psychoses to the atypical neuroleptic drug, clozapine. Records of patients over 60 years of age (n = 12, all female) who had received clozapine over a 30-month period from selected hospitals in Western Pennsylvania were reviewed. Among the six patients who were rapidly titrated (300 mg/day in 3 weeks), none are currently receiving clozapine, while four patients who received a slower titration and lower dosage (range, 25 mg/day to 300 mg/day; mean, 150 mg/day) remain clinically improved on stable doses of clozapine. Postural hypotension affected seven patients, and was the reason for discontinuation of clozapine in five patients. One patient experienced nonfatal agranulocytosis, and one subject experienced leukopenia. One patient died from causes unrelated to clozapine. This retrospective study suggests both a low-dose and slow-titration strategy for initiating clozapine among elderly patients, similar to the use of other psychotropic drugs in the elderly, as well as close attention to postural hypotension, agranulocytosis, and drug interactions.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Disturbed wards--do we need them?

This is a study of forty-three female residents of a continued care state psychiatric facility who were transferred from a ward for highly disturbed persons to a ward based on a geographical unit system. One year after the transfer thirty-eight patients were improved, particularly in the area of behavior symptomatology. A change in perceived expectations of both patients and staff seemed to be primarily responsible for the positive change noted.

Adolescent↗