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Smoking and weight among patients using clozapine
Niko Seppälä1, Esa Leinonen, Merja Viikki
1Niko Seppälä, Department of Psychiatry, Satakunta Hospital District , FI-28500 Pori , and School of Medicine, University of Tampere , FI-33140 Tampere , Finland.
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
|May 8, 2014
Summary
Obesity and smoking are common in schizophrenia patients on clozapine. This study found no significant difference in weight change or BMI between smokers and non-smokers, though smoking amount influenced BMI when age and sex were considered.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
Background:
- Obesity and smoking are prevalent issues in schizophrenia patients undergoing clozapine treatment.
- These comorbidities significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature mortality in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between smoking status and weight changes in patients treated with clozapine.
- To explore potential interactions between obesity and smoking in this patient group.
Main Methods:
- 237 patients with schizophrenia or related psychoses on clozapine completed the Liverpool University Neuroleptic Assessment Scale (LUNSERS).
- A questionnaire assessed current height, weight, weight changes, and smoking status.
- Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to model body mass index (BMI).
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between weight change and smoking status during clozapine treatment.
- No significant difference in body mass index (BMI) was observed between non-smokers and smokers.
- While not individually significant, age, sex, sedation intensity, and smoking amount were explanatory variables for BMI in the ANCOVA model.
Conclusions:
- Clozapine treatment did not show differential weight gain or BMI differences between smoking and non-smoking patients.
- The quantity of cigarettes smoked was found to influence BMI when accounting for age and sex.
- Findings align with general population studies linking heavy smoking to increased obesity risk.
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