Clozapine is the most effective drug for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, and the dosage and concentration of clozapine in the treatment of mental illness vary greatly in different populations and are affected by many factors.
The serum clozapine concentration of 3734 psychiatric patients was detected, and data on daily dose, sex, age and other medical records were collected for statistical analysis.
The mean daily dose, mean serum concentration and mean C/D (concentration/dose) ratio of clozapine were 191.02 ± 113.47 mg/day, 326.15 ± 235.66 ng/mL and 1.94 ± 1.25 ng/mL per mg/day, respectively. There was difference in daily dose between sexes, and females had higher daily dose (p <0.01), higher serum clozapine concentrations (p < 0.01) and higher C/D ratios (p < 0.01). There were significant differences in daily dose (p < 0.001), serum drug concentration (p < 0.001) and C/D ratio (p < 0.001) among different age groups. The daily dose decreased with age (p for trend < 0.001), and the C/D ratio increased with age (p for trend < 0.001). Inpatients and outpatients had no difference in daily dose, but inpatients had higher serum concentration (p < 0.001) and C/D ratio (p < 0.001). There was no difference in daily dose among different occupations, but there were significant differences in serum concentration (p < 0.001) and C/D ratio (p < 0.001), and unemployed patients may have higher serum concentration and C/D ratio. Duration of disease, comorbidity, marital status, and psychotic type may influence the daily dose and serum concentration.
The effective daily dose and serum concentration of clozapine in the study area may be lower than recommended levels, and women have higher serum concentrations and slower metabolic rates. With increasing age, the daily dose decreases, and the metabolic rate slows. Inpatient status and occupation of patients may influence the serum concentration and metabolic rate of clozapine.

UNASSIGNED: Although the worldwide prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is estimated to be between 2% and 5%, it is considered to be underdiagnosed. This register study explored the prevalence of diagnosed ADHD and incidence of newly diagnosed ADHD in Swedish adults over time, and assessed comorbidities and pharmacologic treatment.
UNASSIGNED: National Patient Register data were used to estimate the overall prevalence of adults (≥18 years) with a registered ADHD diagnosis from 2006 to 2011, and the incidence of newly registered diagnoses from 2007 to 2011. Data from the Prescribed Drug Register were used to estimate the mean dose of the most frequently prescribed ADHD medication.
UNASSIGNED: The estimated annual prevalence (N=44,364) of diagnosed ADHD increased from 0.58 per 1,000 persons in 2006 to 3.54 per 1,000 persons in 2011. The estimated annual incidence of newly diagnosed ADHD (N=24,921) increased from 0.39 per 1,000 persons to 0.90 per 1,000 persons between 2007 and 2011. At least one comorbidity was diagnosed in 52.6% of adults with ADHD (54.0% of newly diagnosed adults), with anxiety, substance use disorders, and depression being the most common. Among all adults with ADHD, 78.9% (65.7% of newly diagnosed adults) were prescribed ADHD medication and one-third were prescribed more than one add-on medication. Osmotic release oral system methylphenidate was the most commonly used medication. The mean daily dose was 51.5 mg, and was significantly higher in males, patients with substance use disorders, patients with drug holidays, and patients with at least one add-on medication. The most frequent concomitant medications were anxiolytics and hypnotics.
UNASSIGNED: In Sweden, the number of adults diagnosed with ADHD increased between 2006 and 2011, and the majority of patients were prescribed ADHD-specific medication. Over one-half of patients had psychiatric comorbidities; one-third were prescribed more than one add-on medication. Consumption of pharmacologic ADHD medication was high in specific patient subpopulations.

The aim was to compare the prescribed and calculated daily insulin dosages based on prescription data in type 2 diabetes patients in a general practice database.
A total of 17 782 type 2 diabetes patients (age: 70.0 ± 11.5 years; 52% males; 16% diabetologist care) with ≥2 insulin prescriptions from 834 practices were analyzed (Disease Analyser: 01/2011-12/2015). Prescribed daily dosage (PDD) (physician documentation) and calculated daily dose (CDD) (pack size × strength × volume / days between 2 prescriptions) were calculated for short-acting, long-acting, and premixed insulins. PDD and CDD were compared using paired t-tests. Linear regression models assessed the associations of insulin dosage difference (CDD-PDD) with age, sex, diabetologist care, private health insurance, obesity, HbA1c, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, macro- and microvascular complications.
Mean [SD] CDDs were higher than PDDs for short-acting (52 [28] vs 48 [26] units/day), long-acting (30 [20] vs 24 [15] units/day), and premixed (46 [26] vs 40 [21] units/day) insulins (all P < .05). In regression models, age (per year) was associated with higher CDD-PDD differences (+0.11, +0.04, +0.10; P < .01) for short-, long-acting, and premixed insulins, respectively. Diabetologist care was related to lower differences (-2.92, -1.02, -3.65; all P < .05). HbA1c was associated with higher differences in long-acting and premixed insulins, but was related to a lower difference in short-acting insulins (all P < .05).
CDD in primary care database studies substantially overestimate the PDD (8-25%). Age, diabetologist care, and glycemic control were related to CDD-PDD differences. Priming and safety shots with pens, dosing errors, or the accumulation of insulin reserves by patients may be underlying reasons.