Pancreatitis followed by pericardial effusion in an adolescent treated with clozapine

Clozapine-associated pericarditis and pancreatitis in children and adolescents: A systematic literature review and pharmacovigilance study using the VigiBase database

BACKGROUND

The literature has paid very little attention to pericarditis, pericardial effusion and pancreatitis during clozapine treatment in children and adolescents.

METHODS

Cases of clozapine-associated pericarditis and pancreatitis in children were studied using searches in: 1) PubMed (June 16, 2023), and 2) the World Health Organization's pharmacovigilance database (June 1, 2022), VigiBase. VigiBase uses a logarithmic measure of disproportionality called the information component (IC).

RESULTS

The PubMed search yielded 3 clozapine-associated pericarditis cases, 1 pancreatitis case and 1 with both. VigiBase provided a significant clozapine-associated pericarditis IC = 3.6 with an IC025 = 2.9 (only 3 cases were expected while 22 were observed). VigiBase provided a significant clozapine-associated pancreatitis IC = 2.2 with an IC025 = 1.4 (only 3 cases were expected while 16 were observed). In VigiBase clozapine-associated pericarditis and pericardial effusion in youth looked similar and on a continuum with myocarditis, as myocarditis, pericarditis and pancreatitis appeared to occur mainly during clozapine titration. Combining PubMed and VigiBase we identified: 1) 29 cases of at least possible clozapine-associated pericarditis/pericardial effusion (6 probable and 23 possible) including 7 cases with and 22 without myocarditis, and 2) 17 cases of clozapine-associated pancreatitis (1 definite and 16 possible). Two of the pancreatitis cases occurred during overdoses. No fatal outcomes were found in any clozapine-associated pericarditis and pancreatitis cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the lack of attention in the literature to clozapine-associated pericarditis and pancreatitis, results demonstrate that they can happen in youth, particularly during titration. Pericarditis and pancreatitis appear to be forms of clozapine-associated inflammation during dose titration.

Drug induced pancreatitis: A systematic review of case reports to determine potential drug associations

OBJECTIVE

A current assessment of case reports of possible drug-induced pancreatitis is needed. We systematically reviewed the case report literature to identify drugs with potential associations with acute pancreatitis and the burden of evidence supporting these associations.

METHODS

A protocol was developed a priori (PROSPERO CRD42017060473). We searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and additional sources to identify cases of drug-induced pancreatitis that met accepted diagnostic criteria of acute pancreatitis. Cases caused by multiple drugs or combination therapy were excluded. Established systematic review methods were used for screening and data extraction. A classification system for associated drugs was developed a priori based upon the number of cases, re-challenge, exclusion of non-drug causes of acute pancreatitis, and consistency of latency.

RESULTS

Seven-hundred and thirteen cases of potential drug-induced pancreatitis were identified, implicating 213 unique drugs. The evidence base was poor: exclusion of non-drug causes of acute pancreatitis was incomplete or poorly reported in all cases, 47% had at least one underlying condition predisposing to acute pancreatitis, and causality assessment was not conducted in 81%. Forty-five drugs (21%) were classified as having the highest level of evidence regarding their association with acute pancreatitis; causality was deemed to be probable or definite for 19 of these drugs (42%). Fifty-seven drugs (27%) had the lowest level of evidence regarding an association with acute pancreatitis, being implicated in single case reports, without exclusion of other causes of acute pancreatitis.

DISCUSSION

Much of the case report evidence upon which drug-induced pancreatitis associations are based is tenuous. A greater emphasis on exclusion of all non-drug causes of acute pancreatitis and on quality reporting would improve the evidence base. It should be recognized that reviews of case reports, are valuable scoping tools but have limited strength to establish drug-induced pancreatitis associations.

REGISTRATION

CRD42017060473.

Hepatitis, Interstitial Nephritis, and Pancreatitis in Association With Clozapine Treatment: A Systematic Review of Case Series and Reports

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND

Clozapine is the criterion standard in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. We sought to review data on several inflammatory effects associated with clozapine, specifically interstitial nephritis, hepatitis, and pancreatitis.

METHODS/PROCEDURES

We conducted a systematic review to identify studies, published up until December 2017, describing clozapine-induced hepatitis, nephritis, and pancreatitis. The primary objective was to characterize the clinical characteristics associated with each of the specific inflammatory reactions to clozapine.

FINDINGS/RESULTS

We identified 42 cases of inflammatory reactions associated with clozapine treatment- 20 :cases of clozapine-induced hepatitis, 11 cases of nephritis, and 11 of pancreatitis. The mean (SD) age was 38.8 (11.9) years. The mean (SD) dose of clozapine used was 252.4 (133.7) mg. Time to onset of pancreatitis (17.9 [11.2] days; range 4-35 days) was shorter than that for hepatitis (34.2 [20.1] days; range, 12-90 days) and nephritis (27.9 [27.0]; range, 8-90 days) but was not statistically significant (F = 2.267, P = 0.117). The mean (SD) time to recovery was shorter for cases of pancreatitis (15.7 [18.4] days) compared with cases of hepatitis (25.9 [16.5] days) and nephritis (24.5 [18.9] days). Three cases with hepatitis died. Seven of the cases had a clozapine rechallenge (hepatitis [n = 3], nephritis [n = 1], pancreatitis [n = 3]), with 5 having a recurrence at a mean (SD) onset of 3.5 (2.5) days (range, 1-7 days); 2 hepatitis cases were successfully rechallenged.

IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS

Clozapine-induced hepatitis, nephritis, and pancreatitis are uncommon adverse events, reflected in the paucity of case studies in the literature. Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of clozapine-associated hepatitis, nephritis, and pancreatitis is important, as when identified, clozapine should be urgently discontinued. Clozapine is associated with evidence of benign inflammatory processes; the extent to which hepatitis, and other inflammatory reactions, may be on a continuum with these more benign and self-limiting reactions is unclear, and this can only be resolved by prospectively following cohorts of clozapine-treated patients.

Acute Pancreatitis Associated With Antipsychotic Medication: Evaluation of Clinical Features, Treatment, and Polypharmacy in a Series of Cases

BACKGROUND

Antipsychotic-associated acute pancreatitis presents like pancreatitis from other causes, requiring clinical judgment, tests, and decision support to establish the diagnosis. Many new cases of atypical antipsychotic pancreatitis have been established, and current decision supports are out of date as antipsychotic polypharmacy is being recognized. Given the population frequency of psychosis and frequency of antipsychotic prescribing, we reviewed published cases summarizing common clinical findings and antipsychotics associated with acute pancreatitis to updating earlier decision support.

METHODS

Case reports of antipsychotic pancreatitis from 1990 to 2015 were reviewed and abstracted by independent reviewers. Demographic, clinical features, management, and Naranjo and probability scores were abstracted and reviewed for associations. Appropriate statistical tests were selected for normally and non-normally distributed data.

RESULTS

We summarized 41 cases of acute pancreatitis associated with antipsychotics, and cases were younger men (59%) (mean age, 39 years). Alcohol, diabetes, and previous lithiasis appeared in 27%; polypharmacy was associated with 53% of cases, and 80% had concomitant use of other medication linked to pancreatitis.The median lipase, amylase, and alkaline phosphate during acute presentation were 1210 IU/L (range, 243-5482 IU/L), 492 IU/L (range, 3-2916 IU/L), and 152 IU/L (range, 119-367 IU/L), respectively. Median exposure to antipsychotics were 49 days (range, 5-3,650 days); most were mild (63%, n = 26), several severe (27%, n = 11), and few fatal (10%, n = 4).

DISCUSSION

We identified 41 reports of antipsychotic-related acute pancreatitis, many associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy. Olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole, and ziprasidone are associated with acute pancreatitis and often in combination with mood stabilizers.

Treatment of refractory substance-induced psychosis in adolescent males with a genetic predisposition to mental illness

This article presents two cases of adolescent males who were admitted to our inpatient psychiatric unit with a psychotic, disorganized presentation. Both males had a genetic vulnerability to mental illness and reported significant substance use. Their symptoms were refractory to treatment and required the use of clozapine. Both patients experienced significant side effects, which limited the maximum daily dose of clozapine. However, they responded to a dose that was much lower than that typically used in adults. There is significant evidence in the literature about cannabis use triggering psychotic breaks in vulnerable individuals. We speculate that substance use (including synthetic cannabinoids) triggers treatment-resistant psychosis that requires the use of clozapine. Further, lower doses of clozapine may be sufficient to treat the substance-induced psychotic symptoms than those typically used in adult schizophrenia.

Empirical evidence for psychopharmacologic treatment in early-onset psychosis and schizophrenia

Psychotic symptoms presenting in youth can be clinically complex and require that a child and adolescent psychiatrist use significant skill in making a diagnosis and initiating treatment. There are a number of illnesses to rule out before making a diagnosis of early-onset schizophrenia in particular. Psychosis in youth has significant associated morbidity and places high demands not only on families but also on the medical and educational systems. More effective pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments for psychosis are needed. Nonpharmacologic therapies targeting relatively treatment-resistant domains of dysfunction such as neurocognition are also necessary as adjunctive treatments to our extant pharmacologic agents.

Immunomodulatory effects of clozapine and their clinical implications: what have we learned so far?

Clozapine remains the drug of choice for treatment resistant schizophrenia, but is associated with potentially life threatening side effects, including agranulocytosis and myocarditis. Immunological mechanisms may be involved in the development of these side effects or in the unique antipsychotic efficacy in subgroups of schizophrenia patients. This systematic review presents the immunomodulatory effects of clozapine from human in vitro and in vivo studies and relates these findings to the developments of adverse and therapeutic effects of clozapine. Several studies confirm the immunomodulatory actions of clozapine, but only few studies investigated their relationship to the unique adverse and therapeutic effects of clozapine. During the first month of clozapine treatment, up to 50% of patients develop fever and flu like symptoms, which is seemingly driven by increased cytokines. Within the same time period, the risk of side-effects with a suspected immunological mechanism peaks. Patients developing fever during the first weeks of treatment should have a thorough physical examination, and measurements of white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, ECG, C-reactive protein, creatinine kinase, and troponin to exclude infection, agranulocytosis, myocarditis and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. To what degree the unique antipsychotic efficacy of clozapine in subgroups of schizophrenia patients is related to its immunomodulatory effects has not been studied. Research relating the immunomodulatory actions of clozapine and its early markers to clinically relevant adverse and therapeutic outcomes is hoped to provide new leads for the understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and aid the development of novel treatment targets.

Glutamatergic dysfunction in schizophrenia: from basic neuroscience to clinical psychopharmacology

The underlying cellular mechanisms leading to frontal cortical hypofunction (i.e., hypofrontality) in schizophrenia remain unclear. Both hypoactive and hyperreactive prefrontal cortical (PFC) states have been reported in schizophrenia patients. Recent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies revealed that antipsychotic-naïve patients with first psychotic episode exhibit a hyperactive PFC. Conversely, PFC activity seems to be diminished in patients chronically exposed to conventional antipsychotic treatments, an effect that could reflect the therapeutic action as well as some of the impairing side effects induced by long-term blockade of dopamine transmission. In this review, we will provide an evolving picture of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia moving from dopamine to a more glutamatergic-centered hypothesis. We will discuss how alternative antipsychotic strategies may emerge by using drugs that reduce excessive glutamatergic response without altering the balance of synaptic and extrasynaptic normal glutamatergic neurotransmission. Preclinical studies indicate that acamprosate, a FDA approved drug for relapse prevention in detoxified alcoholic patients, reduces the glutamatergic hyperactivity triggered by ethanol withdrawal without depressing normal glutamatergic transmission. Whether this effect is mediated by a direct modulation of NMDA receptors or by antagonism of metabotropic glutamate receptor remains to be determined. We hypothesize that drugs with similar pharmacological actions to acamprosate may provide a better and safer approach to reverse psychotic symptoms and cognitive deficits without altering the balance of excitation and inhibition of the corticolimbic dopamine-PFC system. It is predicted that schizophrenia patients treated with acamprosate-like compounds will not exhibit progressive cortical atrophy associated with the anti-dopaminergic effect of classical antipsychotic exposure.

Recognizing and monitoring adverse events of second-generation antipsychotics in children and adolescents

Although second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are used increasingly in children and adolescents, data on the effectiveness and safety in pediatric populations are still sparse. Much of the safety information is derived from studies conducted in adults. This derivation is problematic because children and adolescents are exposed to SGAs during a phase of unparalleled physical and psychologic development that can affect pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic drug actions, efficacy, and side-effect patterns. This article presents an overview of SGA-related side effects in children and adolescents and strategies to monitor health outcomes effectively in youngsters receiving SGAs.

Myocarditis, pericarditis and cardiomyopathy in patients treated with clozapine

Clozapine is known to cause cardiac side-effects, including myocarditis, pericarditis and cardiomyopathy. Prompted by a case of clozapine-related pericarditis in our hospital we undertook a review of the literature for reports of myocarditis, pericarditis and cardiomyopathy occurring in patients treated with clozapine. This is the first comprehensive review of the literature on this topic.

Chart review for potential features of myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiomyopathy in children and adolescents treated with clozapine

Clozapine is known to cause cardiac side effects, including myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiomyopathy. Prompted by a case of clozapine-related pericarditis in an adolescent, we undertook a retrospective chart review to discover whether any unrecognized cases of myocarditis, pericarditis, or cardiomyopathy were among the children, adolescents, and young adults we had treated with clozapine. The sample comprised a total of 36 patients, who were monitored regularly over a period ranging from 2.5 to 79 months. The average observation period was 7.5 months. Patients were assessed for potential indicators of myocarditis, pericarditis, or cardiomyopathy. In more than 66% of all patients, at least one of several parameters potentially indicative of pericarditis, myocarditis, or cardiomyopathy was abnormal in at least one instance during the observation period. In all cases in which abnormalities were discovered, the abnormalities were found to be unspecific for myocarditis, pericarditis, or cardiomyopathy. With the exception of the case which prompted our study, none of the patients were found to have developed any such disorder in the course of further treatment with clozapine.