ABSTRACT
About 40% of patients suffering from postencephalitic or idiopathic parkinsonism experience distressing and ill-defined sensations. Antipsychotic-induced acute extrapyramidal syndromes (EFSs) share phenomenological, pharmacological, and biochemical characteristics with these parkinsonisms. Thus, it is conceivable that antipsychotic-induced acute EPSs may also be associated with primary sensory symptoms. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis, first by examining the frequency and risk factors of primary sensory symptoms and then by contrasting the clinical characteristics in patients with or without antipsychotic-induced acute EFSs and in patients who did or did not report sensory symptoms. The study group comprised 107 patients who receiving antipsychotics. The authors used DSM-IV criteria and Yale Extrapyamidal Symptom Scale for acute EFSs and modified McGill Pain Questionnaire for sensory symptoms. The results were as follows: 1) Twenty-one(19.6%) of 107 patients receiving antipsychotics reported sensory symptoms. Among these 21 patients, 12(57.1%) reported paresthesia, 6(28.6%) reported pain, 3(14.3%) reported both. 2) fifteen(34%) of the 44 patients with antipsychotic-induced EFSs reported sensory symptoms, while only 6(9.5%) of the 63 patients without EFSs reported sensory symptoms(p<0.01). The severity of sensory symptoms was significantly correlated with the EPSs rating score(p=0.001). 3) In the patients with sensory symptoms, the women significantly outnumbered the men(p<0.05). Any risk factor of sensory symptoms, however, couldn't be found in age, diagnosis, and drug. The subjective response including sensory symptoms were associated with drug response, drug compliance, quality of life and prognosis. It is suggested that further systematic investigation and interest about sensory symptoms and subjective response of the acute EPSs should be needed.