Publication Type:
Journal ArticleSource:
BMC Psychiatry, Volume 23, Issue 1, p.383 (2023)Keywords:
Adult, Antipsychotic Agents, Aripiprazole, Canada, Delayed-Action Preparations, Female, Humans, Male, Patient Acuity, SchizophreniaAbstract:
<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Functional impairment affects many patients with schizophrenia. Treatment with the long-acting injectable antipsychotic aripiprazole once-monthly (AOM) may help improve functioning.</p><p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>To explore changes in functioning in patients with schizophrenia who received AOM treatment in observational studies.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>Here we report functional outcomes in the form of Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores in a pooled analysis of data from two observational studies from Canada (NCT02131415) and Germany (vfa non-interventional studies registry 15960N). Data from 396 patients were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>At baseline, the mean GAF score was 47.7 (SD 13.4). During 6 months of treatment with AOM, the mean GAF score increased to 59.4 (SD 15.8). Subgroups stratified by patient age (≤35 years/>35 years), sex, disease duration (≤5 years/>5 years) and disease severity at baseline had all significantly improved their GAF at month 6. 51.5% of the patients showed a GAF score increase of at least 10 points, which was regarded as clinically meaningful, and were considered responders.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>These data show that treatment with AOM may help improve patient functioning in a routine treatment setting.</p><p><b>TRIAL REGISTRATION: </b>NCT02131415 (May 6, 2014), vfa non-interventional studies registry 15960N.</p>