Absence of severe tardive dyskinesia in Hungarian schizophrenic out-patients

One hundred and twenty-two patients comprising 82% of the non-hospitalized schizophrenic population of a Hungarian town were rated for tardive dyskinesia (TD). Drug histories were also obtained. No severe cases of TD were found. The markedly lower prevalence of TD in the study population in contrast to similar North American samples may be related to differences in treatment styles, in particular to: a) use of EST in place of high-dose neuroleptic therapy; b) extensive exposure to ethopropazine, promethazine, and other antiparkinson drugs. Twenty patients revealed clinically evident fine tremors, mostly of the tongue and eye-lid. Multivariate analysis revealed a positive association of choreiform dyskinesia with duration of low-potency neuroleptic treatment.