Oculocutaneous Syndrome Associated with Prolonged Phenothiazines Therapy

Overview

This paper describes phenothiazines-induced cutaneous and ocular changes and evaluates manifestation of these changes in the group of 27 patients long-termed hospitalized at Mental Hospital Jihlava. Abnormal skin pigmentation was seen altogether in 14 patients (52%) what is corresponding to the fact that nearly half of the investigated persons received chlorpromazine which is considered the most risky factor for these changes. Skin pigmentation also ocurred in 3 patients with levopromazine. Ocular changes appeared in 11 persons (41%), most of them manifestied both corneal and lens opacities. We did not discover phenothiazines retinopathy in any patient. Our results confirm that skin and ocular pigmentations are relatively common in chronic psychotic patients and they are dose and duration of treatment related.

Key words:
phenothiazines, chlorpromazine, abnormal skin pigmentation, ocular pigmentation.