In search of measures to improve the detection of increased cardiometabolic risk in children using second-generation antipsychotic medications.

Purpose: Second-generation antipsychotic medications (SGAs) are widely used in child psychiatry. SGA-induced metabolic disturbances are common in children, but monitoring practices need systematisation. The study's aims were to test an SGA-monitoring protocol, examine the distributions of metabolic measurements compared to reference values in child psychiatry patients, and determine whether using a homeostasis model for the assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL) ratio could improve the detection of increased cardiometabolic risk.

Current follow-up practices often fail to detect metabolic and neurological adverse reactions in children treated with second-generation antipsychotics.

Aim: This study examined the use and adverse reactions of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), alone or combined with other psychotropic medication, to identify areas for standardising prescribing and monitoring practices.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study at Tampere University Hospital, Finland, involving 128 patients (81% boys) who were under 13 years old at SGA initiation and had SGA treatment between October 2013 and October 2014.

Results: The median age at baseline was 9.