Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa: A Systematic Review
Jacopo Pruccoli,
Luca Bergonzini,
Angela La Tempa,
Antonia Parmeggiani
Affiliations
Jacopo Pruccoli
IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Neuropsichiatria Dell’Età Pediatrica, Centro Regionale per i Disturbi Della Nutrizione e dell’Alimentazione in età Evolutiva, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Luca Bergonzini
IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Neuropsichiatria Dell’Età Pediatrica, Centro Regionale per i Disturbi Della Nutrizione e dell’Alimentazione in età Evolutiva, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Angela La Tempa
IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Neuropsichiatria Dell’Età Pediatrica, Centro Regionale per i Disturbi Della Nutrizione e dell’Alimentazione in età Evolutiva, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Antonia Parmeggiani
IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Neuropsichiatria Dell’Età Pediatrica, Centro Regionale per i Disturbi Della Nutrizione e dell’Alimentazione in età Evolutiva, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Evidence about the use of pharmacologic agents in the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is lacking, especially in childhood and adolescence. A systematic scoping review was conducted to outline current literature evidence about the use of antipsychotics in this population. A total of 499 studies were identified with the initial search, and 28 of these studies were selected regarding the use of olanzapine (n = 13), risperidone (n = 4), aripiprazole (n = 3), chlorpromazine (n = 3), pimozide (n = 1) clotiapine (n = 1) and multiple antipsychotics (n = 3) in these patients. Overall, major side effects were reported infrequently; improvements in psychopathology and weight measures have been suggested in the majority of the considered studies. Nonetheless, the lack of RCT or good-quality studies strongly limits the generalizability of results in clinical practice.
