Evidence map›Paper›PMID 18234120›Full record

Trial reportBMC pediatrics2008

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of olanzapine as an adjunctive treatment for anorexia nervosa in adolescent females: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Wendy Spettigue, Annick Buchholz, Katherine Henderson, Stephen Feder, David Moher, Kader Kourad, Isabelle Gaboury, Mark Norris, Sheila Ledoux

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC pediatrics, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
6.3field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Psychopharmacological Prescribing Patterns Among Italian Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa: Exploring Real-World Treatment Practices.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026
    Article
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Olanzapine use for the treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa - reflecting on research and clinical practice.Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent · 2024
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Commentary to QTc prolongation associated with atypical antipsychotic use in the treatment of adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa.Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent · 2009
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Wendy SpettigueMental Health Department, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada. wspettigue@cheo.on.ca
Annick Buchholz
Katherine Henderson
Stephen Feder
David Moher
Kader Kourad
Isabelle Gaboury
Mark Norris
Sheila Ledoux
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario · CACarleton University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious, debilitating condition that causes significant physical, emotional, and functional impairment. The condition is characterized by destructive weight loss behaviours and a refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height. AN often develops in adolescence and is a predominantly female disorder. Treatment for AN typically involves medical, nutritional and psychological interventions. Pharmacotherapy is also often used; however, the literature on the effectiveness of these drugs in a pediatric population is very limited. Olanzapine, which is an 'atypical' antipsychotic, is becoming more widespread in the treatment of AN. Olanzapine is hypothesized to facilitate weight gain, while decreasing levels of agitation and decreasing resistance to treatment in young women with AN. This randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial seeks to examine the effectiveness and safety of olanzapine in female youth with AN. METHODS/

designAdolescent females between the ages of 12 and 17 diagnosed with AN (either restricting or binge/purge type) or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified with a Body Mass Index of less than or equal to 17.5, will be offered inclusion in the study. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive either olanzapine or placebo. Patients assigned to receive olanzapine will start at a low dose of 1.25 mg/day for three days, followed by 2.5 mg/day for four days, 5 mg/day for one week, then 7.5 mg/day (the target dose chosen) for 10 weeks. After 10 weeks at 7.5 mg the medication will be tapered and discontinued over a period of two weeks. The effectiveness of olanzapine versus placebo will be determined by investigating the change from baseline on measures of eating attitudes and behaviors, depression and anxiety, and change in Body Mass Index at week 12, and after a follow-up period at week 40. It is anticipated that 67 participants will be recruited over two years to complete enrollment. DISCUSSION: Randomized controlled trials designed to measure the safety and effectiveness of olanzapine in comparison to placebo are desperately needed, particularly in the adolescent population.

trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN23032339.

Indexed as

Clinical ProtocolsAdolescentAnorexia NervosaAntipsychotic AgentsBenzodiazepinesBody Mass IndexDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansOlanzapineResearch DesignSeverity of Illness IndexTherapeuticsTreatment OutcomeAntipsychotic AgentsBenzodiazepinesOlanzapine

Identifiers

PMID18234120
PMCPMC2258294
OpenAlexW1983213410

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.