Effectiveness of pharmacotherapies for delusional disorder in a Swedish national cohort of 9076 patients
Markku Lähteenvuo, Heidi Taipale, Antti Tanskanen, Ellenor Mittendorfer‐Rutz, Jari Tiihonen
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little is known on the effective pharmacological treatment of delusional disorder. AIMS: Study the comparative effectiveness of pharmacotherapies in the prevention of hospitalization due to psychosis and work disability in delusional disorder. METHODS: Observational registry based cohort study including everyone in Sweden diagnosed with delusional disorder (N = 9076;mean follow-up time 4.9 years). The primary analysis was Cox Proportional Hazards within-individual analysis. Results are reported as adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). RESULTS: Among the cohort (4835 males/4241 females;mean [SD] age 44.1 [12.5] years), 2074 persons had at least one hospitalization due to psychosis. Risk for hospitalization due to psychosis was 46% lower when any antipsychotic was used (HR 0.54, 95%CI 0.38-0.77, p < 0.001). Use of clozapine (HR 0.24, 95%CI 0.07-0.77, p = 0.016), any long-acting injectable (LAI; HR 0.28, 95%CI 0.16-0.49, p < 0.0001) and oral olanzapine (HR 0.36, 95%CI 0.20-0.67, p = 0.001) were associated with lowest risk. Among those not on disability pension at start of follow-up (n = 5025), in comparison to no use of antipsychotics, use of clozapine (HR 0.08, 95%CI 0.01-0.52, p = 0.008), any LAI (HR 0.44, 95%CI 0.25-0.79, p = 0.006) and oral aripiprazole (HR 0.52, 95%CI 0.31-0.85, p = 0.009) were associated with lowest risk of work disability. CONCLUSIONS: Use of antipsychotics was associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization due to psychosis and work disability in delusional disorder, with use of clozapine and long-acting injectables being associated with the lowest risk for these very relevant end-points for both individual suffering and costs to society. Clinical trials with these treatments are urgently needed to make informed clinical treatment recommendations.