Korean J Psychosom Med.  2021 Jun;29(1):11-16. 10.22722/KJPM.2021.29.1.11.

Clinical Correlates of QTc Prolongation in Patients with Schizophrenia : A Retrospective Study

• Lee JS
• Park J
• Park S

• KMID: 2524477
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22722/KJPM.2021.29.1.11

Abstract

Objectives
：QTc prolongation due to antipsychotics is of major concern because it may lead to fatal ventricular arrhythmia such as torsade de pointes. However, few studies have been conducted on QTc prolongation due to antipsychotics, especially in South Korea. This study aimed to investigate how demographic and clinical variables affect QTc interval in patients with schizophrenia.
Methods
：By retrospectively reviewing medical records, we assessed QTc interval, demographic data and clinical features of 441 (175 males) patients with schizophrenia who admitted to the psychiatric ward of a general hospital. To explore the predictive factors for QTc interval, hierarchical regression analysis was performed with QTc interval as the dependent variable.
Results
：The mean QTc interval was 417.2±28.4 ms. In the hierarchical regression analysis, the use of shortacting antipsychotic injection was the strongest predictor of the QTc prolongation.
Conclusions
：This study demonstrated that the use of short-acting antipsychotic injection may affect QTc prolongation in patients with schizophrenia. This result suggests that more attention should be paid to the use of short-acting antipsychotic injection in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Keyword

QTc prolongation; Antipsychotics; Short-acting injection; Schizophrenia