Sammanfattning
Background: Both obesity and smoking are common in schizophrenia patients taking clozapine,
causing cardiovascular disease and premature deaths. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-seven
patients with schizophrenia or related psychoses treated with clozapine completed the Liverpool
University Neuroleptic Assessment Scale (LUNSERS) and a questionnaire including current
height, weight, changes therein and smoking status. Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze
weight and weight change in smoking and non-smoking patients taking clozapine. A possible
interaction between obesity and smoking was explored. Results: No association was found
between weight change and smoking status during clozapine treatment. There was no signifi cant
difference in body mass index (BMI) between non-smokers and smokers. In the analysis of
covariance (ANCOVA) with BMI as the dependent variable, the best fi tting model comprised
age, sex, intensity of sedation, and reported amount of smoking as explanatory variables
( np2 = 0.116; P = 0.029; power= 0.750). None of the explanatory proportions of any single
factor was signifi cant. Conclusions: Estimated according to reported weight gain and BMI, no
difference was found between smoking and non-smoking clozapine-treated patients. Number of
cigarettes smoked explained BMI if age and sex were taken into account. This result is in line
with the fi ndings of some general population studies, where heavy smoking has been associated
with a greater risk of obesity.