Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39648666›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science2025

Genetic identification of undiagnosed benign ethnic neutropenia in patients receiving clozapine treatment.

Helena Aziri, Kalliopi Vallianatou, Bhirundra Balgobin, David Taylor

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Review
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

4 authors.

Helena AziriInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7026-416X
Kalliopi VallianatouInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, UK; and Pharmacy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Bhirundra BalgobinClozapine Clinic, Maudsley Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
David TaylorInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, UK; and Pharmacy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2557-1710

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundClozapine therapy presents a risk of agranulocytosis, necessitating monitoring of white blood cell count. The detection of benign ethnic neutropenia (BEN), in which neutropenia can be present without an increased risk of infection, is particularly important in preventing unnecessary withdrawal of clozapine. BEN is strongly linked to the CC homozygote of the single nucleotide polymorphism rs2814778 in the atypical chemokine receptor-1 (

aimsWe introduced voluntary genetic testing for BEN in one of our clozapine clinics, with the aim of assessing the prevalence of undiagnosed BEN in patients on clozapine.

methodWe offered genetic testing for BEN to patients undergoing medium- and long-term clozapine treatment, and conducted a comparative analysis of neutrophil counts across three identified groups: those previously diagnosed with BEN, those with newly discovered BEN and those confirmed by genetic testing not to have BEN.

resultsWe conducted genetic testing for BEN on 108 patients. Of these, 16 were already registered as having BEN and had the CC homozygote. A further 26 patients (24% of the cohort) who were previously not diagnosed with BEN by standard haematological monitoring were found to have the CC homozygote on genetic testing. Unadjusted mean neutrophil counts were lowest for those with previously diagnosed BEN (2.5 × 10

conclusionsUndiagnosed BEN was common in our naturalistic cohort. The integration of genetic testing into standard monitoring would enhance the management of clozapine therapy, potentially allowing for the safe reintroduction or continuation of clozapine in patients with hitherto unrecognised BEN. All current and prospective clozapine patients should be genetically tested for BEN.

Indexed as

Antipsychotic AgentsClozapineGenetic TestingNeutropeniaAdultFemaleHumansLeukocyte CountMaleMiddle AgedPolymorphism, Single NucleotideAntipsychotic AgentsClozapineBenign ethnic neutropeniaclozapineethnicityneutropeniapharmacogenomics

Identifiers

PMID39648666
PMCPMC12355462

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-ND
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.