Antipsychotic Drugs may Increase Pneumonia Risk in Schizophrenia Patients, suggests research

The key findings of this study were:

While general use of antipsychotics was not closely associated with pneumonia, the monotherapy was found to increase pneumonia risk when compared to no antipsychotic use. This risk increased in a dose-dependent manner.

Also, using multiple antipsychotics simultaneously did not show a significant increase in the risk of pneumonia. Antipsychotics with a high anticholinergic burden were associated with a higher pneumonia risk.

The antipsychotic drugs and their dosages that significantly increase pneumonia risk were:

• High and medium doses of clozapine (≥180 mg/day) showed a marked increase in pneumonia risk.
  
• High-dose quetiapine (≥440 mg/day) was associated with a significantly increased risk.
• High-dose olanzapine (≥11 mg/day) also showed an elevated risk.

The dose-dependent risk and the specific association of higher anticholinergic burden antipsychotics with pneumonia requires the development of prevention strategies customized for patients who require these high-risk medications. As pneumonia poses a serious health threat, understanding the risks linked to antipsychotic treatments is highly important in improving the patient outcomes, reducing the rate of hospitalizations and mortality among the individuals with schizophrenia.

Reference:

Luykx, J. J., Correll, C. U., Manu, P., Tanskanen, A., Hasan, A., Tiihonen, J., & Taipale, H. (2024). Pneumonia Risk, Antipsychotic Dosing, and Anticholinergic Burden in Schizophrenia. In JAMA Psychiatry. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.1441