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Risperidone in treating behavioural disturbances of Prader-Willi syndrome
R Durst1, K Rubin-Jabotinsky, S Raskin
1Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Kfar Shaul Hospital, Israel.
Objective:
This paper reports the results of risperidone treatment in seven patients (six adults and one adolescent) diagnosed as suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) accompanied by severe behavioural disturbances. Risperidone was chosen following the failure of these patients to respond to other acknowledged modes of treatment for the psychiatric manifestations of PWS.
Method:
This was a prospective open-label study. Measures of Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGIS), Retrospective Overt Aggression Scale (ROAS), Aggression Score (AS) and weight were obtained during two baseline visits and again following 37 weeks of treatment with risperidone.
Results:
Low dosages (1-3 mg/day; 1.6 mg/day on average) of risperidone brought about notable clinical improvement with no apparent adverse side effects. All measures evaluated--general behaviour, CGIS, OAS and weight--reacted favourably to the treatment protocol.
Conclusion:
The preliminary results presented here suggest that risperidone is useful in treating PWS due to its positive effect on the disruptive behavioural symptoms that accompany it.