Ten-year outcome of tardive dyskinesia

The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term outcome of patients with tardive dyskinesia.

A group of 122 neuroleptic-treated Hungarian outpatients were assessed for tardive dyskinesia on the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and the Tardive Dyskinesia Rating Scale by the same rater over a 10-year period.

Sixty-three of the patients received both 5- and 10-year follow-up assessments and are the subjects of this report. The overall prevalence of tardive dyskinesia in this group changed little over time; it was 30.2% at baseline, 36.5% at 5 years, and 31.7% at 10 years. However, there were changes in the tardive dyskinesia status of individual patients; 11 patients had remissions, and 12 who did not have tardive dyskinesia at the baseline assessment had developed it by the 10-year assessment. These two subgroups did not differ significantly on demographic and drug history variables. Outcome of tardive dyskinesia was not significantly related to neuroleptic treatment or to age.

The data of this 10-year follow-up study provide evidence for the long-term stability of tardive dyskinesia and for the feasibility of maintenance neuroleptic therapy for chronic psychotic patients who have tardive dyskinesia.