Achieving symptomatic remission in out-patients with schizophrenia--a naturalistic study with quetiapine

Symptomatic remission was defined as a score of mild or less on each of eight key schizophrenia symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-8). To evaluate the symptomatic remission criterion in clinical practice and to determine predictors for achieving symptomatic remission, a 12-week non-interventional study (NIS) with quetiapine was conducted in Germany.

For the comparison of patients with and without symptomatic remission, sociodemographic and clinical variables of 693 patients were analyzed by logistic regression for their predictive value to achieve remission.

Four hundred and four patients (58.3%) achieved symptomatic remission after 12 weeks' treatment with quetiapine. Remission was significantly predicted by a low degree of PANSS-8 total score, PANSS single items blunted affect (N1), social withdrawal (N4), lack of spontaneity (N6), mannerism and posturing (G5), and low disease severity (CGI-S) at baseline. Predictors of non-remission were older age, diagnosis of schizophrenic residuum, multiple previous episodes, longer duration of current episode, presence of concomitant diseases, and alcohol abuse.

This study demonstrated that the majority of schizophrenia out-patients achieved symptomatic remission after 12 weeks treatment and confirms the importance of managing negative symptoms in order to achieve disease remission.