S. Gherardelli, V. Orlandi, G. Bersani - Vol. 8, March 2002,
Issue 1
Testo
Immagini Bibliografia
Summary Indice
Valutazioni morfofunzionali cerebrali e
trattamento farmacologico
in un caso clinico di schizofrenia con polidipsia
Brain morphofunctional characteristics and pharmacological treatment in a
patient
with chronic schizophrenia and polydipsic behaviour
Polydipsia, the excessive intake of liquids, is a relatively frequent phenomenon
in chronic psychiatric patients, particularly those with schizophrenia. Although
the first description of this disorder dates back to 1935, little is known about
its aetiopathogenesis, that, nowadays, appears to involve hypothalamic and hippocampal
disturbances, as well as some medications (lithium, SSRI and traditional neuroleptics).
We here report on the clinical history and characteristics of a chronic schizophrenic
patient with comorbid Mental Retardation of moderate intensity and polydipsia.
The patient had low I.Q. and a prominent negative symptomatology. During hospital
stay, brain CT and MRI were performed, showing ventricular enlargement and cortical
atrophy, particularly in the temporal region. Polydipsic behaviour seemed to
be associated with psychotic exacerbation and consistently diminished after
the introduction of 500 mg of the novel atypical antipsychotic quetiapine, suggesting
the need for controlled studies, in larger samples of patients, to assess the
effect of atypical antipsychotics in the management of polydipsic beaviour in
schizophrenic patients.
