Epidemiology of tardive dyskinesia. Part II.

In the part II of an epidemiological study on tardive dyskinesia performed on the same sample of 332 chronic schizophrenic patients (142 males and 190 females), the authors come to the conclusion that the prevalence of tardive dyskinesia is significantly higher if the mean age was higher at the beginning of treatment with sedative or incisive neuroleptics, their combinations (cocktails) and added antiparkinsonian drugs. Age seems to be the most important factor in the prevalence of tardive dyskinesia. The mean longer duration of "incisive" free intervals significantly decreases the prevalence of tardive dyskinesia. Other factors analysed in our sample, especially the total amount of neuroleptics administered, the type of neuroleptics and the mean duration of neuroleptic treatment, do not play a significant role in the prevalence of tardive dyskinesia.