Cognitive dysfunction in tardive dyskinesia

ABSTRACT

Tardive Dyskinesia is a serious, long term side effect of chronic neuroleptic treatment. The magnitude of this iatrogenic health problem has been compounded by the inadequate currently available. All schizophrenic patents residing in the three main hospitals in Alexandria with Psychiatric inpatient units were studied during May and June 1988. The aim of this work was to detect Tardive Dyskinesia [TD] among schizophrenic inpatients and to study the relationship between TD and cognitive impairment. Only case fitting the DSM III diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia and who were under neuroleptic treatment for more than one year were included in this study [280 patients, 161 males and 119 females]. The study showed that TD prevalence rate among the schizophrenic population was 4.2% [lips and personal movements in 58.3% and tongue movements in [41.6%]. Patients with TD performed significantly lower than patients without TD on the comprehension, digit span and similarities subscales of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale [t= 3.51, 6.022 and - 3.26 respectively]. All the correlation between scores on comprehension and digit span subscales and lip movements were statistically significant [r=0.467 and 0.622]