Abstract
Objective
To document prospective weight and anthropometric changes in children and adolescents during the first 12 weeks of treatment with risperidone and evaluate metabolic outcomes including plasma leptin levels.
Method
Eight patients with psychotic disorders (ages 11โ17) who had started risperidone (mean: 1.80โmg/day; sdโ=โ1.04) in the prior 4 weeks participated in this observational study. Fasting morning blood samples were obtained at baseline and week 8 to assess glucose, leptin, cortisol, insulin, and triglycerides. Measures of body mass index (BMI), weight, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, and heart rate were obtained weekly.
Results
Participants increased in mean weight (4.16โkg; sdโ=โ4.36; pโ=โ0.03) and BMI (1.47โkg/m^2^; sdโ=โ1.53; pโ=โ0.03) with five out of eight gaining at least 7% of baseline body weight. They had a 4.03โcm (sdโ=โ3.82; pโ=โ0.02) increase in waist circumference and a 5.17โcm (sdโ=โ3.68; pโ=โ0.01) increase in hip circumference. Leptin trended higher, but did not reach statistical significance. There were no significant changes in glucose, insulin, cortisol, blood pressure, or heart rate.
Conclusion
Subjects experienced significant increases in weight, BMI, hip and waist circumference during the first 3 months of treatment. Better powered research with more advanced anthropometric assessment is warranted to further elucidate mechanisms of antipsychotic associated weight gain in youth. Copyright ยฉ 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.