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Palabras clave: Psicosis maníaco-depresiva, esquizofrenia, historia, pronóstico, deterioro cognitivo, criterios diagnósticos, comorbilidad,
suicidio, antipsicóticos, antirrecurrenciales.
Definición
Trastorno en el cual tanto los síntomas afectivos como los esquizofrénicos son
destacados y se presentan durante el mismo episodio de la enfermedad, preferiblemente
de forma simultánea o al menos con pocos días de diferencia entre unos y otros (1).
Historia
Epidemiología
Criterios diagnósticos
Nosología comparada
El DSM IV–TR en comparación con el DSM III aclara la correlación temporal entre los
síntomas afectivos y psicóticos y clasifica el trastorno en tipo bipolar (o maniaco) y
depresivo, vinculado con los antecedentes familiares, el pronóstico y la respuesta
terapéutica (6). De los dos subtipos, el tipo depresivo estaría más vinculado con el
espectro de la esquizofrenia mientras que el tipo bipolar estaría asociado con los
trastornos del estado de ánimo. Sin embargo, los dos subtipos podrían ser parte de una
misma enfermedad para los que sostienen el concepto de una enfermedad continua que
incluiría la esquizofrenia y los trastornos afectivos. Se incluyen muchos de estos
trastornos como puntos intermedios y se sugiere que los límites entre los trastornos del
estado de ánimo y la esquizofrenia son meramente artificiales.
La CIE 10 plantea que este trastorno puede dividirse en tipo maníaco, tipo depresivo,
tipo mixto, otros trastornos esquizoafectivos y sin especificación (1).
Estudios de linkaje
Estos estudios sostienen la existencia de loci que influyen en la susceptibilidad para el
“espectro de las psicosis”. La susceptibilidad se hallaría en el cromosoma 1q42 y ha
sido implicada en la esquizofrenia, en los trastornos bipolares y, recientemente, también
en los trastornos esquizoafectivos (12).
(4).
» Distinción entre síntomas depresivos y síntomas negativos
La comorbilidad entre los síntomas depresivos y los síntomas negativos, además de
revestir interés nosológico, resulta de importancia debido a los índices aumentados de
suicidabilidad entre los pacientes que presentan trastorno esquizoafectivo o
esquizofrénico y sintomatología depresiva. Es muy claro que, a lo largo de la evolución
de la esquizofrenia, muchos pacientes atraviesan episodios depresivos. Se calcula que el
59% de los pacientes con criterios para esquizofrenia (DSM-III-R) presentan síntomas
compatibles con criterios de depresión menor o mayor (13).
Para diferenciar los síntomas depresivos de los síntomas inducidos por drogas, Burrows
propone observar la presencia de síntomas producto de la disminución de la transmisión
dopaminérgica como el parkinsonismo (que provoca akinesia, anergia y
desafectivización) y la somnolencia (6).
Evolución y pronóstico
Tratamiento
» Trastorno esquizofreniforme
» Trastorno psicótico breve
» Trastorno delirante
» Trastorno psicótico compartido
» Trastornos psicóticos debidos a condición general médica y sustancias
» Psicosis cicloides y esquizofrenias asistemáticas
March 2009
Ms. Cascade is Vice President, Quintiles Inc./iGuard, Falls Church, Virginia; Dr.
Kalali is Vice President, Global Therapeutic Group Leader CNS, Quintiles Inc., San
Diego, California, and Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego;
and Dr. Buckley is Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Medical
College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia.
Abstract
Key words
Introduction
Methods
Results
According to practice data from SDI/Verispan, about one-half of patients presenting
with schizoaffective disorder are women and two-thirds are under the age of 50. Figure 1
displays the number of classes of central nervous system (CNS) agents typically
prescribed to treat schizoaffective disorder. As seen in Figure 2 , only 13 percent are
prescribed one class of treatment. The majority receive two classes (48%) or three
different classes (39%) of CNS treatment.
The most common regimen for the treatment of schizoaffective disorder is antipsychotic
only (22%), followed closely by antipsychotic + mood agent (20%); antipsychotic +
antidepressant (19%); and antipsychotic + mood + antidepressant (18%). All other
regimens have a prevalence of three percent or lower.
Expert Commentary
by Peter Buckley, MD
These are interesting data and should be considered in the context of our current-day
understanding of schizoaffective disorder, a conditiion originally described in the 1940s.
Schizoaffective disorder is a contentious nosological entity. It was originally conceived
as a third, independent entity alongside schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Its course is
intermediary and considered to be more favorable than schizophrenia. Some have
suggested that schizoaffective disorder, depressive subtype, resembles more
schizophrenia in course and treatment while schizoaffective disorder, manic subtype, is
more like a bipolar disorder over time. However, beyond some early, classic genetics
studies and some long-term outcome studies, the aspects that would set it apart as an
independent illness—namely biology, risk, course, and treatment—have rarely been
studied with any methodological rigor. In addition, pharmacological studies do not
focus on schizoaffective disorder alone, and what we know about the drug treatment of
schizoaffective disorder comes from analyses of large trials in patients with
schizophrenia that have included a subset of patients with schizoaffective disorder.
Another complicating factor is that, in the absence of clearly delineated features and
course of this condition, schizoaffective disorder is apt to be mis/overdiagnosed. For
example, it is well known—and entirely logical—that people with schizophrenia
become depressed over the course of their illness. This comorbidity, common in
schizophrenia,[1] is ripe to be misconstrued and then ‘labelled’ as schizoaffective
disorder. This can easily happen as doctors often do not have the time to go back over
years of course of illness so as to meticulously chart the pattern of mood symptoms in a
patient with chronic schizophrenia. Additionally, in our mental health system, patients
are more likely to be followed over time by several doctors sequentially rather than to
have the same doctor for many years. It is also observed that when a diagnosis is made
by one doctor, it tends to be retained over time. So if one doctor calls the patient’s
illness schizoaffective disorder, this diagnosis will likely be carried forward in care.
When diagnostic boundaries are complex and blurred, this is another source of
variability on ascribing this diagnosis.
Keeping the above comments in mind, there are a number of interesting observations
from these data. Firstly, the overwhelming majority of patients are being treated with
antipsychotics. This resonates well with the notion that schizaffective disorder is related
to schizophrenia and falls within the family of psychotic disorders. We also note that
only about 20 percent of patients are receiving antipsychotics alone. While this
polypharmacy is not a surprise, the extent is a little higher than in most studies of
schizophrenia alone.[2,3] Also, the pattern of polypharmacy appears similar overall to
that seen in schizophrenia. There are no “ah-ha’s” when you see these data, and I would
contend that these pharmacovigilance data offer little support for the idea that
schizoaffective disorder is really a different condition from schizophrenia.
So what does this all mean? The status of schizoaffective disorder is “up for grabs” in
the review process for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM-V). It is not clear how to position this condition, especially
since there is such a paucity of biological and treatment studies to inform evidence-
based decisions about the status of schizoaffective disorder. I vote for abandoning the
concept altogether!
I think the field will be better served by simplifying things. The process for DSM-V will
better serve clinicians if it produces a DSM-V that does not just “lump” or “split” but
also “takes out.” If schizoaffective disorder was removed, I believe there would be little
impact on treatment but better diagnostic agreement among clinicians.
People with schizophrenia who experience depression would be treated for their
depression and would not get “reclassified” to a different diagnosis, as part of their care.
Many people with schizophrenia get depressed. Becoming depressed should not be, by
itself, a reason to change a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. There is some support
for removing schizoaffective disorder from DSM nosology.[4,5] Although the data
above are just that—data about how clinicians prescribe medications—they are
interesting and provide their own statement about whether schizoaffective disorder is
really any different from schizophrenia.
References
1. Buckley PF, Miller B, Lehrer D, Castle D. Comorbidities and schizophrenia.
Schizophr Bull. 2009 (in press).
2. Correll CU. Antipsychotic polypharmacy, part 1: shotgun approach or targeted
cotreatment? J Clin Psychiatry. 2008;69(4):674–675.
3. Bora E, Yucel M, Fornito A, et al. Major psychoses with mixed psychotic and mood
symptoms: Are mixed psychoses associated with different neurobiological markers?
Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2008;118(3):172–187.
4. Pierre J. Deconstructing schizophrenia for DSM-V: challenges for clinical and
research agenda. Clin Schizophr Related Psychoses. 2008;2:166–174.
5. Lake CR, Hurwitz N. Schizoaffective disorder: its rise and fall: Perspectives for
DSM-V. Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses. 2008;2(1):91–97.