SynthesisThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2021
Antipsychotic Polypharmacy Among Patients With Schizophrenia in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Real-world comprehensive care of people living with schizophrenia: recommendations across different settings and clinical stages.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026Article
- Psychiatric polypharmacy in adult patients at the only referral psychiatric institute in Botswana: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy in patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders in the MENAT and EMRO countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Associations between clozapine availability, the diagnosis of treatment-resistant schizophrenia subgroups, antipsychotic monotherapy, and concomitant psychotropics among patients with schizophrenia: a real-world nationwide study.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Complex Psychotropic Polypharmacy in Soweto-based community psychiatry clinics.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2025Article
- Global burden of schizophrenia in 204 countries and regions from 1990 to 2021 and machine learning-based projections to 2036: an analysis of the 2021 global burden of disease study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Prevalence of polypharmacy and factors impacting psychotropic prescribing patterns in women of childbearing potential at inpatient mental health services in Qatar.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2024Article
- Antipsychotic prescription patterns among schizophrenia patients in Guangdong Province, China's 686 program: A retrospective study.Medicine · 2024Article
- Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Psychiatry: Enhancing Treatment Precision and Patient Outcomes.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Article
- Clozapine Treatment Is Associated With Higher Prescription Rate of Antipsychotic Monotherapy and Lower Prescription Rate of Other Concomitant Psychotropics: A Real-World Nationwide Study.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2022Article
- Interventions for adolescents and adults with psychosis in Africa: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2022Review
- Polypharmacy Exposure, Aging Populations, and COVID-19: Considerations for Healthcare Providers and Public Health Practitioners in Africa.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIn Africa, antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) is increasing due to a high antipsychotic dose prescribing, repeated psychiatric hospitalization, uncontrolled psychotic symptoms, and greater side effect burden. Therefore, the aim of this review and meta-analysis is to assess the prevalence and correlates of APP among patients with schizophrenia in Africa.
methodsA systematic search was performed from August 1 to 31, 2020, on PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases to select articles based on the inclusion criteria. Meta-Analysis of Observational studies in Epidemiology guidelines were employed. Cross-sectional observational studies that reported APP and/or its correlates in schizophrenia patients in English language published in peer-reviewed journals without time limits were included in the review. The quality of included articles was assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment tool. Prevalence and correlates of APP were the outcome measures of this review and meta-analysis. Open Meta Analyst and RevMan version 5.3 software were used for meta-analysis. A random effect model was used to synthesize data based on the heterogeneity test.
resultsSix studies that involved 2154 schizophrenia patients met the inclusion criteria in this review and meta-analysis. The quality of included studies ranges from 6.5 to 10 based on the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment tool. The pooled prevalence of APP among patients with schizophrenia was 40.6% with 95% confidence interval: 27.6% to 53.7%. Depot first-generation antipsychotics and oral first-generation antipsychotics were the most commonly prescribed APP combinations. Socio-demographic, clinical, and antipsychotic treatment characteristics were significantly associated with APP. There was a wide variation in the correlates of APP assessed by studies and the way that association/correlations was determined and reported.
conclusionsAPP is common and highly prevalent. Advanced age, male gender, longer duration of schizophrenia, hospital admission, and longer antipsychotic treatment were correlates of APP in Africa.
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